Harry Potter and the Dragon Keepers
by BeccaFlan
Summary: Picks up in Harry's 6th year, where OotP leaves off--Book 5 spoilers! Harry has a horrible new DADA teacher, he discovers secrets about Snape, his family, and even Charlie Weasley, and of course, suffers through more deaths.
1. Back to the Order

Chapter One

Back to the Order

It was a miserable day in Little Whinging, Surrey. A particularly black cloud seemed to be hanging over Number 4, Privet Drive, much to the dismay of its resident gardener, Mrs. Petunia Dursley, whose prize begonias were dying from lack of sunlight. But to another resident of Number 4, the miserable rain was nothing to his own depression. Harry Potter had been in a perpetually dark and somber mood all summer. Even the Dursleys, who hated their nephew, noticed that he was eating less and locking himself up in his room more and more. Uncle Vernon had begun making regular trips to Harry's room, to make sure that Harry wasn't up to "anything funny."

Uncle Vernon was very much opposed to anything Harry might be doing in his bedroom. That's because Harry was a wizard—and Uncle Vernon wouldn't stand for any sort of magical funny business going on in his house. But Harry _couldn't_ do magic outside of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry without risking expulsion, and Uncle Vernon knew that very well. In fact, Harry had no interest in doing magic lately. He didn't really want anything to do with the magical world anymore, not since his godfather died last month.

Harry blamed himself. If only he'd known that Lord Voldemort was playing a trick on his mind, he wouldn't have broken out of school to save Sirius. He risked his life and his friends lives when he went to the Ministry of Magic, and Sirius had only left the safety of his home to save Harry. Sirius had been dueling with his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's most loyal followers, when she hit him with a spell that knocked him off-balance and made him fall through a mysterious archway. Harry wanted to leap through the arch to save Sirius, but Remus Lupin, Harry's former teacher and an old friend of James Potter and Sirius, had held him back.

Harry had been numb all summer. He was all alone. No parents, no godfather. He was stuck here on Privet Drive with the Dursleys. He didn't want to write to his friends. He didn't know _what_ to write. He didn't want to read their letters, either. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger had written nearly three times a week, but all their letters remained unread under the loose floorboard under Harry's bed. If he was going to talk to anyone about what happened in June, it wasn't going to be on paper.

Owls had delivered birthday packages a few days ago, but Harry didn't touch those, either. There would be no sixteenth birthday present from his godfather.

Harry spent his days flipping through old photo albums. His parents and Sirius, as well as Lupin and a fourth school chum, Peter Pettigrew, waved up to him from happy, magically animated photographs of picnics, birthdays, and his parents' wedding. Harry had to smile at one of the pictures. While a young James and Lily Potter were waving to their son, Sirius and Lupin were sneaking up behind them with what looked like very sticky, gooey cake in their hands. In the background, the traitor Peter Pettigrew was talking to a pretty young woman who had a dark-haired little girl slung on her hip. Harry scowled at the image of the man known to his friends as Wormtail. He betrayed the Potters to Voldemort, allowing his master to kill the couple. It was Peter who faked his own murder and framed Sirius for it—the reason why Sirius had been in Azkaban, the wizard's prison, for twelve years. And it was Peter who was responsible for Voldemort's resurrection last year.

Harry paused at a picture of his parents with him when he was a baby. Wait—that couldn't be Harry. The baby was wearing a pink sweater, and his parents looked very young, perhaps even still of Hogwarts' age. And the baby didn't have Harry's messy black hair, which stuck up everywhere just like his father's, nor did she have, like Harry did, Lily Potter's vivid green eyes. The baby's hair was sleek and black, and her large eyes were very dark, as pretty as onyx. Harry flipped through the album. There were no more pictures of that baby. He supposed she was a Potter relative, which meant she was now dead. As far as Harry knew, the Dursleys were his only living relatives.

Suddenly, something started tapping at Harry's window. A small owl was fluttering furiously, a large letter attached to its foot. Harry opened the window quickly. "Hey, Pig," he said affectionately. He pulled the letter of the owl's foot. Pig was his friend Ron's owl—a gift from Sirius. Harry's own owl, Hedwig, hooted softly as Pig helped himself to some water from her cage. Harry tossed the letter onto his bed without opening it. He would let Pig rest, but he wouldn't be sending the little owl back with anything.

Harry suddenly heard Uncle Vernon's thundering footsteps in the hall outside his room. Uncle Vernon, a beefy, purple-faced man with very little neck, let himself in without knocking. His eyes traveled quickly to the two owls, but he held himself back from making an angry outburst. He thrust a letter towards Harry. "This was just delivered," he said stiffly. "Those people"—Uncle Vernon always meant wizards when he said "those people"—"Have sent this. Say they'll be here day after next at six." He left with one last angry glance at the owls.

Harry reached for Ron's latest letter, the only one he would open all summer. It was a brief, but urgent, note:

Harry,

We're all really worried that you haven't written back

at all. Dumbledore says he knows you're not being mis-

treated by those Muggles, but all the same he's arranged

for you to come stay with us. Someone will pick you up

on the fifth of August at six. See you then!

Ron

Harry threw the letter back on the bed. Pig flew over to him and stuck out his leg, waiting for Harry to attach a reply. Sighing, Harry scrawled a response on the back of Ron's letter.

Ron,

See you on the fifth, then.

Harry

Pig hooted happily. He flew off into the cloudy sky as Harry began packing up his trunk.

* * *

On the fifth of August, Uncle Vernon and Harry's massive cousin Dudley squeezed themselves into their best suits, which seemed to shrink each time they were worn. Aunt Petunia wore a dress that somehow made her face look even more horse-like than it already did. The Dursleys hated magic and "those people," but they never missed a chance to show off. At 5:53, Uncle Vernon started grumbling about the time Harry was supposed to be picked up by Ron's dad, who'd been late _and_ crashed through the Dursleys' boarded-up fireplace with three of his sons in tow. At 5:59, there wasn't even the faintest sign of a car on Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon screwed up his face at Harry and said sourly, "Your kind isn't much for punctuality, eh?"

But just as he said that, the clock chimed six o'clock, and there was a knock at the door. Uncle Vernon opened the door, probably expecting another Mr. Weasley—shabby, dressed in a cloak, and armed with a wand. Harry was expecting a large group of wizards—last year, he'd been taken to London by many members of the Order. With Voldemort back, he had to be protected.

But there were only two women at the door, and they weren't shabbily dressed in odd cloaks, and Harry couldn't see their wands anywhere. They were dressed very much like Muggles. Harry recognized the first woman as Nymphadora Tonks, an Auror and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. The Dursleys had seen her last month when they picked up Harry from King's Cross Station. Her pink hair had made quite an impression on Aunt Petunia, who was now eying Tonks' bright blue locks with a look of utter distaste. Tonks' Muggle rock-concert clothes were also not received well by the Dursleys, but she didn't seem to care. The second woman, who Harry had never seen before, made a better impression on the Dursleys. She was dressed in a black skirt and a light sweater, and black boots that looked suspiciously like dragon hide. Her black hair was very long (even when pulled up into a ponytail, as it was now). She looked around at Harry and the Dursleys with dark eyes that radiated warmth and familiarity.

She stuck out her hand, grasping Uncle Vernon's firmly. He looked at her distastefully, but she didn't seem to notice. "Mr. Dursley," she said fondly in a soft lilt. "Nice to make your acquaintance. I'm Tabitha McNoira, and this is Nymphadora Tonks." Aunt Petunia screwed up her face at the name. "Albus Dumbledore sent us to collect Harry."

Tabitha McNoira smiled at Harry. "Ah," she said softly. Harry shivered at the coldness in her voice. "I _finally_ get to meet the _famous_ Harry Potter." He suddenly felt cold under her stare. She seemed happier to greet the Dursleys than to greet him.

Tonks grinned. "All ready, Harry?" Harry nodded. "All right, then, best get your trunk. Is it in your room?"

"I'll go get it," he mumbled.

"No, no, let me," Tonks said. "You and Tabs just wait out in the car for me."

"Bye," Harry muttered to the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon nodded curtly as Tabitha issued them a warm smile and a bright, "Good-bye!"

"Quite an unpleasant lot," she remarked stiffly as they walked towards the empty street. She pulled a small toy car from her purse and set in the street. With a furtive glance and a flick of her wrist (Harry was surprised to see a long, thin wand suddenly in her hand), the car became life-sized.

"Er, whose car is this?" Harry asked.

"Oh, it's mine. Great little thing. Fits in my purse when I'm not driving it, and it's easy to drive in other countries." She flicked her wand again, and the steering wheel switched sides. "Only problem is, I have to switch that back every time I drive. American-made."

Tonks appeared at the front door with Harry's trunk. "Thanks a lot, see you next summer, I'm sure!" she was saying to the Dursleys. Harry could only imagine their horror at the possibility of ever seeing Nymphadora Tonks again. She shook her head as she loaded the trunk and Hedwig's cage into the car. "I don't know how you do it, Harry. Those Muggles seem a right old impossible lot! My dad's Muggle-born, you know, but he's a harmless old slob. And Tabitha's grandmum's a Muggle and her granddad's a Squib, and they're the nicest old folks you'd ever meet. How you got stuck with _those_ people as family …" She shook her head and Harry stifled a laugh.

As they drove to London in Tabitha's enchanted car, she and Tonks talked nearly nonstop, at an incredible pace, and sometimes at the same time as each other (and about two different subjects), but they seemed to know exactly what the other was saying. Harry supposed that they were old friends, the way they were catching up. Tabitha definitely liked Tonks much more than she liked Harry. He didn't pay them much attention. He spent much of the ride half-asleep, staring out the window. Before he knew it, they were at Grimmauld Place, London. Harry was only half-surprised that the Order's headquarters were still at 12 Grimmauld Place, Sirius' childhood home. Though Sirius was dead, he must have left the house to Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts' headmaster and the head of the Order. They would have ensured that the house would not be passed to Sirius' next living relative, as his family was full of Dark wizards. The handful of good wizards in his family—including Sirius, his cousin Andromeda (Tonks' mother), and Sirius' Uncle Alphard—had been burned off the family tree.

With Harry's trunk floating in midair in front of her, Tonks walked towards the gap between Numbers Eleven and Thirteen Grimmauld Place. "Remember how to get in, Harry?" she said anxiously. Harry nodded and concentrated. _The Order of the Phoenix is located at 12 Grimmauld Place._ Suddenly, a large house shoved its way through the gap, pushing the houses on either side over to make room. Tonks tapped her wand against the door once.

Remus Lupin, looking much paler and more gray-haired than he had last month, opened the door. He smiled warmly at Tonks before clasping his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry," he said hoarsely. His mournful eyes bore into Harry's.

Tabitha shut the door as she entered. She spotted Lupin and gasped, dropping her trunk. As she wrapped him into a long, tight embrace, she said anxiously, "Remus, you're so pale! Are you ill? The full moon isn't for another two weeks!" Lupin was a werewolf. He always seemed ill the week of the full moon. "Something's troubling you. Where's D—?"

Lupin cut her off. "I've got to fill you in on a lot, Tabitha. The letters we sent didn't tell you half of what's gone on this past year. Tonks, you may as well come up with us and help me fill her in. Harry, you're in the same room as last year. I think Ron might be waiting for you." Lupin and Tonks showed Tabitha up to her room. Just when Harry started to think that his arrival, after a summer of his silence, was being met with more quiet than usual, pandemonium broke out before him.


	2. Lupin

****

Chapter Two

Lupin's Secret

Harry's best friend Ron Weasley was the youngest brother in a family of six boys—and five of those six boys were now wreaking havoc on Sirius' house. They all ran into the front hall from every possible entrance, shooting each other with blue goo. Harry's other best friend, Muggle-born Hermione Granger, and Ron's only sister, Ginny, appeared at the second-story landing and were watching the boys, half-amused. Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, appeared to be testing out new products from their joke shop, which they'd opened recently. The toys looked like Muggle water guns, but instead of dispensing water, the Weasley boys were shooting each other with a gooey blue liquid that appeared to render anything it touched paralyzed. Bill Weasley's left arm was hanging limp at his side, while Ron's face had gone slack. Hermione and Ginny shrieked as the blue liquid was directed up at them. As she avoided a stream of blue (shot by Ron), Hermione spotted Harry. "Harry!" she cried, running down the stairs. She hugged him fiercely. "How are you?"

"I'm good, Hermione. It's good to see you."

The Weasleys paused their game. Bill swung his left arm in the air to wave. "Wotcher, Harry!" Bill, the oldest of the Weasley children, was always very friendly to Harry. He worked as a curse-breaker at Gringotts Wizard Bank, a bank run by goblins. Bill worked in the Egypt branch. Harry noticed straight away that Bill had cut off his ponytail, though his fang earring remained. Bill caught his stare and reddened. He ran his working hand through his now-short hair and mumbled, "Fleur wanted to try it short."

"Eet eez too long, my Beely!" Fred purred in an almost-perfect imitation of Fleur Delacour's breathy French accent. Harry knew Fleur as a former student of Beauxbatons, France's school of witchcraft and wizardry, and he supposed that she had been spending an increasing amount of time with Bill to "eemprove her Eenglish."

Ron tried to laugh but only succeeded in twitching a few facial muscles and making a weird choking sound. "Huuuh, Hree," he mumbled with great difficulty. Ron, who'd always been taller than Harry, was nearly as tall as Bill now. Over the past month, he seemed to have finally grown into his long nose and big ears.

Charlie Weasley, the shortest of the flame-haired brothers, shook Harry's hand firmly. Charlie's muscular arm was covered in faint traces of scars—all remnants of dragon burns. Charlie worked with the magical beasts in a reserve in Romania. "Good to see you again, Harry. Where are Tonks and Tabitha? I thought—" A jet of blue suddenly hit him squarely in the shoulder. He dropped Harry's hand and whipped around to shoot Bill. In the chaos, Fred and George approached Harry.

"Our dear friend, Mr. Potter," George whispered. "My associate, Mr. Weasley, and I do owe our most sincere gratitude to your generosity."

"Yes, without that thousand Galleons you so kindly provided us with last year, we would not be the esteemed owners of the most successful new business in Diagon Alley," Fred continued.

"How _is_ your joke shop doing?" Harry asked.

"Fabulously," George said grandly. "So fabulously, in fact, that we were able to hire some help, which of course, allows us to be here to greet you and take part in the business of the Order. We'll be leaving first thing tomorrow, of course. Must start marketing for our newest invention." He brandished the gun.

"What _are_ these?" Harry pointed at the Weasleys' guns.

"Fantastic Freezing Guns. The paralyzing effect is temporary, of course. They're great for games, or for skiving off class. They're not even available in the store yet," Fred said proudly.

"Huuh tmprree?" Ron said.

"Yeah," Bill said, amusing himself by swinging his arm to and fro by the shoulder. "I'm left-handed, you know. The only thing I can do with my right arm is shoot a gun." He suddenly aimed at Fred, hitting him square in the face. Fred's face went as slack as Ron's.

Hermione sighed as the Weasleys launched into a new round of shooting. Ron put his gun down, however, and joined them. "You didn't return any letters," Hermione said sternly. "We know how you must have felt. We were just trying to help. We were all worried about you."

"Ee-in dubbled or," Ron added.

"_Especially_ Dumbledore. He said he hoped you wouldn't do anything rash. I've become a horrible eavesdropper, I have to admit," Hermione said, dropping her voice a bit. "He blames himself for what happened to Sirius, and he sent a spies to Privet Drive again to make sure you didn't do anything, well ..." Her voice trailed off. "But that's all we know. Most of the time, they speak in code because they know we try to eavesdrop, and even Fred and George won't tell us what's going on."

"Thrin thorter," Ron said importantly.

The doorbell rang, reminding Harry that Mrs. Black was missing. "Where's the portrait of Sirius' mum?" he asked.

A dark look suddenly crossed Hermione's face. Ron rolled his eyes at her. "Dubbled or berntit."

"What?"

"Dumbledore burned it," Hermione said. "He broke the spell that kept it up on the wall, and burned it in the basement. And you know what _else_ he burned?" ("Blude_el_!" Ron complained.) "Kreacher! He jumped into the fire to save Mrs. Black, and Dumbledore just _let_ him! He just let Kreacher get—get all burnt up!" She was getting very worked up. Kreacher was the Black's house-elf—he hated Sirius because Sirius brought half bloods and Muggle-lovers into the Black home. Mr. and Mrs. Black—as well as many of their relatives—felt that pureblood wizards were the only proper kinds of wizards. Kreacher had disappeared over the past Christmas holiday to the home of Sirius' cousin, Narcissa Malfoy. He was able to leak some information about the Order to Narcissa and her husband Lucius, a Dark wizard in Voldemort's inner circle. Harry had only escaped from Hogwarts to "save" Sirius from Voldemort because Kreacher had lied to Harry, telling him that Sirius was not at home at Grimmauld Place. As far as Harry was concerned, letting Kreacher burn up with his beloved Mrs. Black was the nicest thing Dumbledore could have done for the miserable, grouchy house-elf, and he told Hermione exactly that. Her eyes blazed over and she stomped off, apparently giving them the silent treatment.

Charlie had answered the door and allowed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to enter. Mrs. Weasley took one look at the blue-goo-covered walls and screamed even more horrifically than Mrs. Black's portrait ever did. Her sons slowly trudged out of the next room (George was dragging a paralyzed leg behind him) and deposited their Fantastic Freezing Guns at her feet. "I expect this will all be _cleaned_," Mrs. Weasley said. "Guests in someone else's home, and look what they do!" She shook her head and noticed Harry. "Harry! Oh, I've been so worried about you! Are you all right? You look a bit peaky. Do you need some tea? Have those Muggles been feeding you? I'll wager you just need a good meal and a nice sleep. Stop crowding him, Ron, give Harry some space."

"Molly, Molly," Mr. Weasley interrupted. "Harry hasn't seen Ron all summer. We should let them have some time to talk. Up in their room."

Fred tugged on Harry's sleeve. "That's code for 'official Order business is about to start and the best way to keep you lot from spying is to make sure you're locked up in your rooms.' " After a look from Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione grudgingly went upstairs to their rooms. Bill, Fred, and George followed their parents to the kitchen, where the meeting would be held, while Charlie jogged upstairs to get Tabitha, Tonks, and Lupin.

Harry flopped down on his bed, the same one he'd used last year. He and Ron were alone, and Ron's paralysis had finally worn off. "You shouldn't blame yourself, Harry," Ron blurted out.

"What?"

"For—for Sirius. Hermione and I were talking, and she thinks you'll be blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault. Kreacher, Kreacher shouldn't've ..."

"It's all right, Ron. I—I don't really want to talk about it just now." He looked around the room. "So, is there anything particular happening with the Order?"

"We think they have some kind of weapon," Ron whispered. "None of us knows what it is, but we know it's not the prophecy. Has something to do with it, though, we'd bet. We heard them say that this was only the first step, but we never got close enough to hear what the weapon _is_, not even with Extendable Ears"—another Fred and George invention—"and they whisper through most of the meeting." Ron grinned. "Who's that girl you came with? I saw her going upstairs with Lupin and Tonks. Dumbledore never said who he was sending to get you."

"I don't know who she is. She seems to know Dumbledore. He's been sending her owls all summer about Order business. It looks like she and Tonks are friends. I think she said knows Tonks' family, or at least her mother. And she seems pretty close with Lupin."

"She's young, though, eh? Can't be much older than us."

Harry shrugged.

He and Ron looked at each other awkwardly. Harry had never felt so uncomfortable around Ron before. But he couldn't talk to him about this. Ron hadn't lost his parents when he was still a baby. He hadn't lived for ten years with miserable, boring people who allowed their son to beat him up. He never had the immense weight of facing Voldemort single-handed on his shoulders. His godfather had not been killed in front of him. For the first time, Harry felt very isolated from his best friend.

"Percy's been fired," Ron said after a few more minutes of awkward silence. "Fudge fired him himself. He finally reported to the _Daily Prophet _that Voldemort is back, and Percy went right to his office to ask why he would feed into all the lies that you and Dumbledore've been spreading. Dad said everyone outside of Fudge's office could hear them arguing, and finally Fudge just fired him."

"What'd Percy do?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not really sure _what_ he's doing, but he won't come home. He says he can't live with people who still believe what you and Dumbledore are saying."

Harry balled his fists in anger. After all he'd been through, Ron's giant git of a brother still wouldn't believe him. Harry'd liked Percy at one point, but his fondness for him was dwindling more and more everyday.

He and Ron said barely three words to each other after that. Ron reread his favorite Chudley Cannons book while Harry lie quietly in his bed, thinking. It wasn't long before Hermione and Ginny popped in to say goodnight, and Ron turned out the light.

It was quiet around Grimmauld Place for several days. Harry didn't speak much, and his friends sensed that he didn't really want to talk. He did make appearances around the house, however. He would eat with everyone else at mealtimes and even helped the boys clean the front hall. But Tabitha didn't emerge from her room for four days straight. On the evening of the second day, Mrs. Weasley had asked Lupin if perhaps Tabitha felt up to having dinner with everyone else.

"I don't think so, Molly," Lupin had said. "Before she came London, she was working in a rainforest in South America. She must have caught something, but I don't think it's anything really _serious_, you know. Most likely she'll sleep it off in a few days."

On the fourth day, she came down to breakfast looking positively wrecked. She was very pale, and Harry hoped that she would be feeling well soon—even if she wasn't particularly nice to him. Even sick, she was shooting foul looks at Harry all during breakfast. She stayed in her room for the rest of the day, skipping lunch and dinner.

That night, well after Ron had fallen into a deep sleep, Harry crept to their window for some water. He realized their pitcher was empty, and decided to risk walking down the creaky stairs to the kitchen.

The hallway was dark save for a glimmer of light at the end of the passage. Harry tiptoed silently towards the stairs, where the light got brighter. The closer he moved towards the kitchen, the better he could hear the two voices whispering behind the half-closed door.

Harry peeked around the door. Lupin and Tabitha were sitting at the table, clasping hands as they sipped steaming tea. "I'm so glad we didn't wait," Tabitha said hoarsely.

"I am, too," Lupin replied. "I can't imagine what it would have been like to have the wedding after all this."

Harry's mouth widened in an O of surprise. Did he just hear properly? Lupin and Tabitha were married?

"I know why you wanted to put it off," Lupin said so softly that Harry almost didn't hear him. "Lily and James' wedding." Harry leaned closer. He had to hear this.

Tabitha gave a sharp, bitter laugh. "Remus, even I don't think like that. I didn't think anything like that was going to happen. Besides, I haven't got a family for the Death Eaters to slaughter." She shook her head. "I can't believe Dumbledore trusts Snape after that. After he did that to Lily and James …"

Harry saw that Lupin's face had gone very white. He was angry. "Don't. I'm sorry I brought it up. I—I can't think of that right now. Not when Snape's on our side. Not when I have to be _civil_ to him." He shook his head. "Just forget it for now, Tabitha. Snivellus was … a different person then," he said with much difficulty. "He's changed sides. What he did as a Death Eater can't … we can't … _just forget it_." Lupin stood up suddenly. "I'm sorry I brought it up." Harry leaned back into the shadows as Lupin approached. He breezed by Harry without noticing him. Harry stayed hidden until Tabitha left the kitchen, and, when he was sure she was in bed, he slipped back up to his bedroom. He had to tell Ron what he'd just heard.


	3. Umbridge's Replacment

****

Chapter Three

Umbridge's Replacement

Harry tried to wake Ron, but his efforts were only rewarded with a giant snore. He lay in bed until dawn, unable to sleep. Everything he'd just heard turned swirled around his mind. Did he hear properly? Lupin and Tabitha had said they were married—hadn't they? But Lupin was so much older than Tabitha. She had to be younger than Charlie Weasley. And if he was married, why didn't Harry know? Why had he never even seen Tabitha before?

Harry didn't want to think much about what else he'd heard, but it kept pushing itself to the front of his mind. What was Tabitha talking about? When she said she couldn't believe what Snape had done to Harry's parents, that she didn't have a family for the Death Eaters to slaughter … did she mean that Snape and the Death Eaters had slaughtered Harry's whole family? And, if he understood correctly, at his parents' wedding?

Severus Snape was Harry's Potions teacher. They had a strong, mutual dislike of each other. Though Snape was now working as a spy for the Order, he'd once been a part of Voldemort's inner circle. He was in that circle around the same time Harry's parents were married.

Harry thought of the handful of wedding photos he possessed. Each one showed a very happy Lily and James Potter, posing with their best man, Sirius, and their other friends. Had the killing taken place much later that day? Harry just couldn't believe that such a thing could have happened to his family without his knowledge. Wouldn't Sirius or Dumbledore have told him that was why he had no family? A small voice in the back of Harry's mind whispered a defiant "no."

Next day, Harry was very sleepily getting dressed and trying to tell Ron what he'd heard between yawns. But before he got very far, someone knocked at the door. A moment later, Hermione and Ginny walked in.

"Breakfast is ready," Ginny said.

"Just a second. Harry was about to tell me something. They can hear, can't they?" Ron nodded at Harry.

"Of course they can!" Harry jumped right into the story. He'd thought of what had been said so much that he knew the conversation almost word for word. At the conclusion, Ron looked shocked and disgusted, but Hermione and Ginny looked almost skeptical.

"Married? Harry, you must have misunderstood," Ron said vigorously. "I mean, Lupin's young, but he's not _young_. Tabitha's barely older than Percy! Honestly, they can't be married. Besides, wouldn't Lupin have told you? Or Sirius? Or someone? I mean, we've known Lupin for almost three years. Don't you think the fact that he's got a wife would have come up? Her last name isn't even the same!"

"Honestly, Ron! Her last name," Hermione muttered. "But I agree. Harry must have misunderstood. There's no way Lupin is married to Tabitha."

"How do you know? You didn't hear what I did!" Harry snapped.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged looks. "Well, it's only," Ginny hesitated. "Well, it's pretty obvious, at least it should be to Ron, as he's been here all summer with Lupin and Tonks." At Ron's blank look, she rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron! They fancy each other. Tonks told us last summer that she fancied him, and this year it's really obvious. If Lupin and Tabitha are really married, I don't think he would flirt with Tonks right under his wife's nose."

"Listen," Hermione interrupted. "We'll find out everything from Tonks and Tabitha, all right? But right now, I think it's more important to talk about Harry's parents' wedding. They said Snape and the other Death Eaters killed everyone at your parents' wedding?"

"Yeah, basically."

"But everyone _wasn't_ killed. I mean, your parents, and Sirius, and Lupin, and Pettigrew all survived. And they're the only ones that we _know_ survived. There could be more. Or maybe nobody died. Maybe Snape or someone ordered it, but it never got carried through."

Ron snorted. "Right. A wedding full of Muggles and Muggle-lovers. What Death Eater wouldn't show up to have some fun?"

"Maybe it did get carried through," Harry said softly. "After all, my whole family is dead now. Bit coincidental, don't you think, that _everyone_ in my family except for the Dursleys is dead? They must not have gone to the wedding, as they hated my mum so much, and everyone who did go ended up dead."

"But wouldn't the Death Eaters have made a clean sweep of it?" Hermione said. "Why leave your parents and their closest friends alive?"

"Revenge," Harry replied hoarsely. He looked around at the confused faces. Last year, he'd looked into a Pensieve in Snape's office. A Pensieve stored memories and thoughts that cloud up one's mind. The memory he saw was horrible. A fifteen-year-old James Potter humiliated the young, greasy-haired Snape because Sirius was bored. Lupin and Peter Pettigrew did nothing to stop him—and when Lily Evans butted in, Snape called her a Mudblood (a filthy, inexcusable term for Muggle-born witches and wizards), and Lily didn't bother trying to stop James again. After he saw this, Harry was thoroughly disgusted with the way his father acted as a teenager, but Sirius assured Harry that Snape was just as apt to curse and jinx James during school. But what James had done was really foul, and Harry was sure it wasn't an isolated incident. Had Snape—a fan of the Dark Arts, a Death Eater as a young man—ordered everyone _except_ those five to be murdered at the wedding? Had he done it purely out of malice for his school tormentors? No. As much as Harry hated Snape he couldn't believe it ... but that tiny voice in his head was talking again. Snape was one to hold a grudge. He hated Harry just because of how James had treated him in school. Harry was starting to feel sick. He wouldn't be able to look at Snape anymore.

"Revenge?" Ron asked.

"Never mind," Harry said quickly. "Come on, breakfast has got to be getting cold."

"About time!" Mrs. Weasley said as they hurried down the stairs. "Fred and George have just left for work. Your father left nearly ten minutes ago. Now, come on, there's still some food left."

Tabitha, Tonks, Charlie, Bill, and Lupin were finishing their breakfasts. Now that Ginny had said something, Harry noticed that Tonks and Lupin were sitting rather close. Tonks worked at the Ministry of Magic as an Auror—a Dark Wizard catcher. She was getting ready to leave for work. "I'll be late if I don't leave right now," she said glumly. "I'll see you all later." She hugged Tabitha. "We'll do something tonight after the meeting, I promise. We need to spend some time together." She grinned at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, and said a quick good-bye before hurrying to the front hall.

Lupin and Tabitha were sitting at opposite ends of the table, not even looking at each other. Tabitha was talking intently with Bill about curse breaking, while Charlie inhaled a third bowl of porridge.

Before Harry had a chance to start eating, Mrs. Weasley walked back into the kitchen with four Hogwarts letters clutched in her hand. "Letters are here! Perhaps we'll take a trip to Diagon Alley today. We'll get to see Fred and George's … establishment." Mrs. Weasley had always disapproved of Fred and George's plan to open a joke shop, but now that they actually had the shop set up, Harry could tell that she wanted to be supportive.

Hermione had her letter ripped open practically before it was out of Mrs. Weasley's hand. She shrieked in delight. "Ten O.W.L.s. And all Os! I thought as much, or at least I hoped, but really!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Great. Let's see how I—" He stared at his results.

"It's all right, Ron, dear," Mrs. Weasley said soothingly. "Whatever you've got—"

"Seven," he squeaked. "I got seven. And look. An O ... "

"Seven! Ron, that's wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley hugged him. "And Harry, what about you, dear?"

"Seven as well." Harry stared at the parchment in his hand. He received an A in both Herbology and Astronomy, and an E in Charms, Transfiguration, and Care of Magical Creatures. He didn't get O.W.L.s in Divination or History of Magic, which didn't at all surprise him. He had been expecting the O in Defense Against the Dark Arts ... but in Potions … he couldn't believe it ...

Ron snatched the paper out of his hands. "An O in Potions?" he whispered incredulously. "Harry, how'd you ... ?"

"I dunno. I guess without Snape there …" Snape. This meant that Harry would be accepted into Snape's N.E.W.T.-level Potions class. He could pursue the career he wanted. He could be an Auror.

Ginny squealed. "Oh, Mum, I'm a Prefect!" As Mrs. Weasley congratulated her youngest child on becoming Prefect, Harry meant to remove his booklist from the envelope, but instead he removed the start-of-term notice and a small piece of parchment.

Mr. Potter,

Congratulations on being made Gryffindor

Quidditch Co-Captain this term. You will

have a brief meeting with Madam Hooch

after lunch on the first day of term.

__

Professor Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House

__

Rolanda Hooch

Professor of Flying and Head Quidditch Arbitrator

Without realizing it, Harry and Ron shouted at once, "I'm Quidditch co-captain!" They stared at each other, then grinned. Even after five whole years in the wizarding world, Harry didn't know half as much about Quidditch as Ron did. Having his best friend—someone who knew the rules and plays perfectly—as co-captain would be even better than being the only captain.

Mrs. Weasley looked around, beaming. "Well, I suppose there's a lot to celebrate today! Charlie, Bill, get dressed, you're coming to Diagon Alley with us today. Remus, Tabitha, you're welcome to come along as well. What do you think? A round of ice creams at Florean Fortescue's? Go on, everyone be ready to leave in ten minutes!"

Normally, the Weasleys would get to Diagon Alley by using the Floo Network—traveling from fireplace-to-fireplace through the use of magical fire. But since last year, using the Floo Network was potentially dangerous, as it was being monitored by the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry did not believe Harry's story that Voldemort was back, so the Order had to work in complete secrecy. Though the Ministry now knew that Voldemort was back, apparently they were taking no chances. Tabitha would be driving everyone in her enchanted convertible. Everyone was intrigued by the steering wheel appearing on the wrong side of the car.

"I've got an Invisibility Shield built in," Tabitha said. "Muggles aren't used to seeing eight people riding in a four-passenger convertible." Lupin had declined to come. He said he was expecting a few members of the Order to stop by.

They drove through downtown London but didn't slow down as they approached the Leaky Cauldron, the gateway into Diagon Alley. "Now, don't get scared!" Tabitha said, turning sharply and driving straight into the building. Everyone screamed, but next second they were standing, perfectly fine, just inside the door. Tabitha was holding her miniaturized convertible in her hand.

"N-neat," Ron said shakily.

The patrons of the Leaky Cauldron stared at them as they marched to the back of the pub. A few moments later, they were standing in the bustling hubbub of Diagon Alley. "Give me your booklists," Mrs. Weasley demanded after they'd been to Gringotts, the Wizard's Bank. Many of the goblins there knew Bill. With their pockets jangling with gold, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny agreed to meet everyone else at Florean Fortescue's in one hour.

They headed right to 93 Diagon Alley, the home of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. To their surprise, the shop was almost too full for them to enter. Ginny spotted some fellow fifth-years and went off to say hello, while Ron, Harry, and Hermione fought the crowd to find Fred and George. They ran into many fellow Hogwarts' students, who praised Ron for having such amazing brothers. A large clump of students was gathered under a display for Fantastic Freezing Guns, laughing hysterically as the twins' school friend, Lee Jordan ("He works here now," Ron told Harry), demonstrated the effects of the gun on various parts of his person. "Oy, Lee!" Ron shouted over the din. "Where're Fred and George?"

"Or'ere!" he mumbled through a paralyzed mouth. With his working hand, Lee pointed to the far corner of the shop.

"This is great!" Hermione panted as they squeezed through the growing crowd. "How much gold do you think they're making?"

"More'n I've ever seen in my life, I'd reckon," Ron replied.

They managed to reach the counter where Fred and George were standing, roaring with laughter at something a girl with long, shiny, curly black hair was saying. "All right, Tabitha," Fred gasped. "We've got you beat. You tell her, George, about how we dropped out of Hogwarts last term ... "

"Oy!" Ron shouted. The twins spotted him.

"Little brother!" they cried. "Tell us, what do you think?" George asked.

"I never would have guessed," Ron said honestly. "We always thought it was a hobby. We never really imagined ... "

Tabitha had turned around. Harry hadn't noticed until now that she was looking quite well today. Hermione remarked as much. "Tabitha," she said brightly. "Have you recovered already?"

"Not exactly. But I've had this before. It takes a long time before you're really well again. You know, you have some off days …" She suddenly stroked a piece of Hermione's hair. "Your hair is really pretty, Hermione. Have you ever tried a relaxing balm? Muggle stuff, you know. Works much better than all the wizarding products on the market. It would really tone down some of the volume …" They wandered away, discussing hair products.

"Are you friendly with her?" Ron asked the twins at once.

Fred looked surprised. "With Tabitha? She's one of our oldest—"

"And dearest—"

"Hogwarts' chums."

"She was Head Girl in our first year," George said. "Took us under her wing, you'd say." He leaned closer to Harry. "How d'you think we learned how to work the Marauder's Map?"

"After we nicked it from Filch's office, she saw us trying to work it. Said she'd been using it when Filch caught her and confiscated it. She seemed reluctant to let it go, but said we'd find good use for it."

"Which we did, of course. She taught us a lot of our favorite jinxes, actually. And a paralyzing potion she spilled on us once gave us the idea for our Fantastic Freezing Guns."

"But don't tell Mum that she's the one who helped corrupt us," Fred said to Ron. "Mum likes her too much. I don't know what she'd think if she knew that Tabitha helped us become even bigger than we would have been."

"And don't leave out all those moves she taught us," George added. "Tabitha was a Gryffindor Beater before us. We learned a lot of good maneuvers from her, a bit dodgy, but legal. And she was funny. Not a typical Head Girl at all. More like we suppose Bill must've been like when he was Head Boy. I only wish we could have had more than one year with her."

"Ah, there you are!" Mrs. Weasley said, fighting her way through the crowd, laden with books. Hermione rejoined them a moment later without Tabitha. "Fred, George, it's even busier than it was last week! I just can't believe it. Oh, here you go," she said to Ron, Harry, and Hermione as she handed them their books.

"Rather heavy load this year, don't you think?" Ron said, struggling under the weight of his books.

"Well, sixth-years do more in-depth study," Hermione said. "But this—" She held up their Defense Against the Dark Arts book, which was the smallest of the lot. "—seems a bit odd. I don't want to do all book work like we did with Umbridge, but we need more than _this_." Professor Umbridge had been their Ministry-appointed, tyrant of a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. They had done no practical work last year, only theory from books.

"Believe me, your new professor is very qualified," Mrs. Weasley said. "I'm really not supposed to say anything more than that, but she must not feel that you need a large textbook." She looked at her watch. "Oh, look at the time! Bill and Charlie must be waiting at the ice cream parlor already!"

"We'll be there in a minute, Mum," Ron said. Once Mrs. Weasley was gone, he turned to the twins, who were both wearing a we-know-something-you-don't look. "Spill it," Ron demanded. "Who's our new professor?"

"All I have to say," Fred said. "Is that Dumbledore's gone completely mad himself, or he's aiming for every boy at Hogwarts to go barmy by the end of term."

"You mean our professor's a dish?" Ron said incredulously.

"Like a female Lockhart, but qualified," George added.

"Well, who is it?" Ron demanded.

"I don't know, Mr. Weasley, that information is highly classified," George said to Fred.

"But these are paying customers, Mr. Weasley," Fred replied.

"You make an excellent point, Mr. Weasley." To Ron, Harry, and Hermione, George said, "Your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is none other than our very old ... "

" ... very dear ... "

" ... very lovely friend and mentor, Miss Tabitha McNoira."

Harry groaned. The last thing he needed was another teacher who hated him.


	4. Snape

****

Chapter Four

Snape

The moment they arrived back at Grimmauld Place, Mrs. Weasley shooed Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny away from the kitchen. "We're having a meeting tonight." As they tramped upstairs, she called after them, "Someone's left their joke shop bag down here!" She peered into it and narrowed her eyes disapprovingly. "Skiving Snackboxes? Whose are these? I don't want any of my—"

"Oh, sorry, Molly, those are mine," Tabitha took them from Mrs. Weasley, blushing.

"What's she need those for?" Ron muttered to Harry. "Is she planning on skiving off some of her own lessons?"

"Let's hope," Harry muttered back.

Hermione turned around. "Tabitha is very nice, you know," she snapped. "I don't know what you two have got against her. She's friends with Tonks, and she's been quite nice to all of us."

"You mean when she's not shut up in her room or giving Harry foul looks?" Ron said.

"Fred and George think she's all right," Ginny piped in. "They wouldn't be friends with her if she wasn't a good person."

"Well, she's got something against _me_," Harry said glumly.

The doorbell rang. They peered down the stairs and saw a large group of witches and wizards entering the front hall—among them, Tonks and a fellow Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt; Fred and George Weasley; Mundungus Fletcher, a crook and a gambler who'd bungled his duty to guard Harry against Voldemort last summer (resulting in Harry and Dudley's being attacked by soul-sucking Dementors); Mad-Eye Moody, a retired Auror; several people that Harry did not know; and finally, Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape. Dumbledore's silver beard and silvery-white hair glimmered in the light of the hall. He lifted his head and, catching Harry's stare, winked one of his bright blue eyes from behind his half-moon glasses. He sniffed the hall with his long, crooked nose and said gaily to Mrs. Weasley, "Another delicious dinner tonight, Molly?"

Mrs. Weasley took their cloaks, pausing a moment to lean in to hear something Professor McGonagall—Hogwarts' stern Transfiguration teacher, Deputy Headmistress, and head of Gryffindor House—was saying. "Oh, well, thank you, Minerva," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Yes, Arthur and I are very happy for them …" Her voice trailed off as they walked towards the kitchen. Greasy-haired Snape glided behind them, his black robes billowing. Before disappearing into the kitchen, he shot a dark look up to Harry.

"We should try to listen in," Harry whispered.

"Mum's put an Imperturbable Charm on the door again," Ginny replied.

"She caught us trying to listen in last meeting," Hermione said. "Honestly, what can they be hiding that we won't find out one or another, anyway?"

They were walking very slowly towards Harry and Ron's room, hoping that someone from the Order would rush up to tell them they were invited to the meeting.

For the first time this visit, Harry took in all the changes to Grimmauld Place. When he'd first seen the house last summer, it was very obviously the former residence of Dark wizards. The heads of house elves had lined one wall, while books about blood purity filled the shelves in the study. Sirius, being unable to leave the house for fear the Ministry would catch him, had spent much of his time cleaning and redecorating—with some help from Mrs. Weasley. It looked as though Sirius had finished the house before he died. Everything was very bright and cheery, though in his gloom over Sirius' death and Tabitha's unfounded hatred for him, Harry had hardly noticed. Even the house-elf heads were gone.

Ginny noticed Harry looking all around the halls. "Mum finished it up," she said. "Everything that—that Sirius didn't get to finish." The tips of her ears turned red. "I'm sorry, Harry. I—I didn't mean …" Harry didn't get to tell her that it was okay. The kitchen door burst open below them. The front hall erupted with sound.

"... unfounded accusations!"

"... the truth, every bit of it, and you know it! You were always …"

"Never, in my life ... "

"... cursing them, jinxing them, picking on Harry, picking on _me_. All you ever do …"

"... have I ever even thought … "

"... is brood in that dungeon ... "

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny raced to the stairs. Snape was quickly backing into the hall, his wand raised, pointed towards Lupin and Tabitha. They had their wands pointed right back at him. Charlie Weasley appeared behind them with his wand. Snape, Lupin, and Tabitha were shouting so loud, Harry was afraid the Muggles next door would hear everything going on in the invisible house.

Suddenly, Lupin shouted, "_Expelliarmus!_" Snape's wand flew out of his hand and into Lupin's. Tabitha was quick to shove her wand right under Snape's big hooked nose. "Dumbledore may trust you," she hissed. "But we don't."

Professor McGonagall appeared behind Charlie. Her nostrils were white and flared in anger. "Tabitha!" she cried. "Remus! Charlie! Severus is a trusted member of the Order! That you would just come out and accuse him of such a horrible crime ... something that surely has no evidence to support his involvement, from so many years ago ... "

"Remus." Albus Dumbledore's voice, no matter how soft, rumbled in the hall. "Give Severus his wand back, please." Harry had never seen Lupin so shaken with rage. Silently, he flung Snape's wand back to its owner. Tabitha backed off, settling herself cross-armed between Charlie and Lupin. They were all staring at Snape with utter hatred. Dumbledore, though his voice was calm, was obviously quite angry. "Now, please return to the meeting before we set any more bad examples for our curious students." He smiled softly up at Harry and the others. Everyone turned back into the meeting silently. Dumbledore remained in the hall. "Harry," he said softly. "Could you come down here for a moment?"

Harry looked at the others before joining Dumbledore in the hall. "What is it, Professor?"

"Harry, I want you to continue your Occlumency lessons this year." Harry was not expecting this. It was during an Occlumency lesson with Snape that he was able to sneak a look into the Pensieve. Occlumency lessons (taken under the embarrassing guise of Remedial Potions) seemed just another excuse for Snape to ridicule Harry. Though if Harry had practiced, if he'd kept up with them, he would not have seen the false image of Sirius being tortured, he would not have snuck off to the Ministry, Sirius wouldn't have come to save him, and Sirius wouldn't be dead ...

Professor Dumbledore's voice brought Harry back form his thoughts. "But Professor Snape will not be teaching you. I will. We will have two lessons each week, and I expect you to practice. The other three nights during the week, you will have short practice sessions with your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I suppose you know now who she is?"

"Yes," Harry replied glumly. The last thing he needed was to spend more time with Tabitha McNoira. Something occurred to him. "But Professor Dumbledore, how will I manage the lessons with homework and Quidditch practice, and being captain, too?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I will not require you to spend much time with me for your lessons, perhaps an hour at most. Professor McNoira will keep you for half of that. And, of course, you will be the one to designate when Quidditch practice is. I have faith in you, Harry. I know I didn't show it last year, and it was a mistake. Now, I daresay I should return to the meeting before I miss too much." He smiled once more at Harry and disappeared down the basement door and into the kitchen.

"Well?" Ron asked when Harry had rejoined them. "What'd he want?"

"I'm to continue my Occlumency lessons. Not with Snape," Harry added at Ron's disgusted face. "With Dumbledore personally. And," he made a sour face. "Three times a week with Tabitha."

"Unfair. Really unfair. Does Dumbledore think you've got more time than you did last year? We're getting into N.E.W.T.s soon!"

"But Occlumency is _really_ important," Hermione said. "I mean, just look at what happened when Harry stopped. "

"It's not your fault, mate," Ron said quickly. "You really thought he was in danger."

After they'd reached Harry and Ron's room and shut the door, Ginny asked what they were all thinking. "I wonder what that fight was about? I've never seen Charlie look that mad."

"Charlie? What about Lupin? The last time he was like that was when he thought Sirius killed Harry's mum and dad." Ron's mouth opened wide. "Harry, d'you think it has something to do with what you heard Tabitha and Lupin talking about?"

"It could." Harry sighed. "I—I suppose I could ask him."

They waited up for the meeting to end. Sometime after midnight, Hermione and Ginny excused themselves, yawning, for bed. Ron stayed up with Harry until the meeting was over. They heard many members leaving. Tabitha and Tonks passed by their door, chatting rapidly. They heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley retire to bed. Once they were sure it was safe, they sneaked from their room to Lupin's room a floor below.

There was a light on underneath the door. Harry knocked. After a moment, Lupin said, "Come in." He looked surprised to see Harry and Ron. "Oh. I wasn't expecting ... I suppose you want to know about that fight?" he said, smiling.

"Well," Harry exchanged a look with Ron. "It's only, last night, I got up to get water, and you were in the kitchen with Tabitha. I only heard a bit of what you said, but I heard something about Snape and my parents' wedding. And then, tonight ... "

Lupin nodded. "We didn't want to tell you. Dumbledore and Sirius and I ... and Molly Weasley wasn't too keen on letting you know either. We thought it could only make things worse between you and Snape. We knew your aunt wouldn't dare tell you." He sighed. "But you hate Snivellus as it is, and I'm tired of having to put up a front with him. It's very difficult to have to look at him, knowing what he did."

"Yes, but what did he _do_?" Harry said impatiently.

"Are you familiar with wizard wedding traditions?" Lupin asked.

Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged. "It's been ages since I've been to one, mate, and I was a baby then."

"Many years ago, friends would stage a small party for the newly married couple directly after the ceremony," Lupin began. "It was to distract them while the family of the bride and groom prepared the formal reception. It's become tradition. The bride and groom know that they're family is preparing a reception, but for about an hour they attend a party with their friends and their wedding party. The day of your parents' wedding, Harry, we did just that. There weren't many of us there, as your parents didn't want a very large wedding. Their only attendants, in fact, were Sirius and your Aunt Petunia."

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry echoed. "But she hated my mum!"

"They had a very ... complicated relationship, Harry. You'll understand in a moment why she cut herself off from Lily." Lupin continued, "We took pictures, ate some cake. Lily looked beautiful, of course, and James was very happy. He loved her so much. Anyway, we were waiting for the signal to head over to your grandparents' house. Your mother's family was thrilled to be attending a wizard wedding, and to be in a wizard's house, so everyone had rushed there after the ceremony. We waited for almost two hours, and there was still no signal. As that job had been entrusted to your father's odd great-uncle Charon, we thought perhaps he'd forgotten. Sirius had borrowed a car from a friend, and bewitched it so twelve of us could fit inside. We saw it even before we reached the house," Lupin said hoarsely. His eyes were dead, staring beyond Ron and Harry into a memory so horrible, he could barely get the words out. "It was hovering above the house, this ghastly green skull ... " Harry turned away, clenching his eyes shut, trying to get the image out of his mind. He didn't want Lupin to finish. "... with a snake climbing through its mouth. Only half of us knew what it was. The Muggles thought it was some hideous decoration, but they had no idea. Sirius, James, and I ran in with our wands, but there were no survivors, and no Death Eaters hanging around. It looked like some of the wizards there had tried to fight, but they were no match for the Death Eaters. They'd been caught off-guard. It was James and Lily's happiest day; no one imagined this could happen."

"Bloody cowards," Ron whispered angrily. "Had to do that, didn't they? They knew any other time, Harry's family would have taken them."

"Your aunt blamed Lily," Lupin said to Harry. "She was already hurt and jealous of your mother's powers. She said their family never would have died if it hadn't been for Lily and James. That was the last day she ever spoke to them."

"Like my mum wanted her whole family killed!" Harry exploded. "And Snape? Was Snape there, killing my family?"

"No. Snivellus was always too much of a coward to confront things head-on," Lupin said bitterly. "He'd try to jinx us in the halls at school when we weren't looking. No, he told Voldemort he knew where they could find a large group of Muggles and Muggle-lovers, and wouldn't it be fun to send some of their men out for a thrill? We never had proof, of course, but we knew. He told us, in his own way."

"So Snape is the reason I have no family?" Harry said angrily. "My _whole family_ is dead because of_ him_?"

Lupin hesitated before answering quietly, "Yes." 


	5. The Daily Prophet

Chapter Five

The Daily Prophet

"Harry, you can't let anyone know that I've told you," Lupin said urgently. "This cannot get in the way of your education. Professor Snape is still your teacher, and Dumbledore trusts him now. For now, just act like I never said anything—"

Harry snorted. "That will be hard, won't it? I'll have to look at his great ugly face everyday."

"Harry,_ please_. I—I can't say anymore, but I promise that things will be easier soon."

"Why?"

"I can't say, it's not any of my business."

"Well, you're not fond of telling me much lately, are you?" Harry snapped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lupin said sharply.

"Nothing," Harry muttered. He didn't want Lupin to know how long he'd spied on him. "G'night."

"Harry!" Lupin called, but Harry slammed the door shut. He and Ron walked silently up to their room.

"Why didn't you ask him, Harry?" Ron asked once they were in bed. "Why didn't you just tell him what you heard?"

"Why bother? He'd just lie, or talk his way out of it. He obviously doesn't want me to know anything."

"But Harry, he just told you—"

"G'night, Ron." Harry turned out the light and turned towards the wall. He didn't want to talk or listen to reason. He just wanted to be mad. He deserved as much, didn't he?

He had a dream that he was at his parents' wedding. Lively music played as he danced with Ginny Weasley. He watched the photographer take a picture of Lupin and Sirius smearing the Potters with cake. A pretty woman with short, untidy black hair turned away from talking to Peter Pettigrew. The black-haired little girl resting on her hip stared at Harry with her dark eyes. She smiled at him shyly before pulling out a wand and flicking it deftly. The Dark Mark appeared and swallowed up the Potters, Sirius, and her own mother. "No!" Harry screamed. He ran forward to save them, but they all disappeared. Then everyone else in the room vanished, leaving him alone with the little girl. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Harry, Harry, what's wrong?"

"Wha—?"

Ron was shaking him furiously. "Harry, you were screaming! Were you having a nightmare?"

A moment later, the door burst open. As the lights came on, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Tonks, Lupin, and Tabitha came into view, all brandishing their wands. Hermione, Ginny, and the twins were behind them, trying to peek into the room. "What is it? What's happening?" Mr. Weasley asked anxiously.

Harry felt horrible at once. He'd woken up the entire house, and for what? A stupid little nightmare. "J—just a dream," he said weakly. There was a joint sigh of relief as wands were lowered. "Sorry I woke everyone," he added. Lupin gave him an almost knowing look as he walked out behind the others. Ginny and Hermione squeezed into the room and perched themselves on Ron and Harry's beds.

"Well?" Hermione said. "What did you see?"

Harry told the girls what Lupin had told them. Their mouths dropped open, and Harry could have sworn he saw tears in their eyes.

"Your whole family? Just like that? Oh, Harry, I'd always wondered why you only had the Dursleys," Hermione said. "But I agree with Lupin that you shouldn't let this get in the way of your, er, relationship with Snape. He said himself they had no proof, and you've got an O on your Potions O.W.L. You wouldn't want this to get in the way of your becoming an Auror."

"Honestly, Hermione!" Ron yelled.

"Hermione's right, Ron," Ginny interrupted. "Lupin said there's no proof, and Harry _needs_ an N.E.W.T. in Potions to be an Auror. You're better off pretending that you never heard anything." She sighed. "So that's what they were arguing about tonight? Why do you think Tabitha and Charlie got in on it?"

"They probably just hate Snape as much as we do and wanted to back up Lupin," Ron said. "I am _not_ looking forward to class with him. Harry," he said suddenly. "If you're in Snape's N.E.W.T. class, then we won't have Potions together!"

Harry hadn't thought of that. Snape only accepted O-level O.W.L. students into his N.E.W.T. Potions class, which meant that he and Ron would be separated for the first time at Hogwarts.

"At least you have Quidditch," Ginny said brightly.

* * *

The next few weeks passed quickly and without incident. The Order held several more meetings, and Tabitha continued to ignore Harry and spend more time with Tonks and the other girls. When they left Grimmauld Place, Ron was angry with Hermione and his sister for spending so much time with Tabitha. "She hates Harry for no reason! Doesn't that bother you?"

Tabitha drove them all to Kings Cross Station in her enchanted car. They drove right through the station without disturbing any of the Muggles going about their normal business. She drove into the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten, landing on the other side of Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. The scarlet steam engine emblazoned with the words "Hogwarts Express" was being loaded with students and their luggage. Mrs. Weasley kissed her children goodbye, giving Harry a lingering hug. "Be careful, all of you," she admonished. "Don't get into _too _much trouble."

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny left for the prefects' car to get their instructions, and Harry looked around for an empty compartment. He didn't find any empty ones, but he did find one inhabited by Neville Longbottom, a fellow Gryffindor sixth-year. He was immersed in _The Daily Prophet_ but looked up when Harry entered.

"Harry! Have you seen _The Daily Prophet_ today?" he cried.

"There can't be anything good in it," Harry said. "Not after last year."

"It's gotten loads better since then. Look, this one's about Sirius Black!" Neville shoved the paper into Harry's hands. Sirius' face stared up at him from the front page. Harry began to read.

_The Ministry of Magic announced today that the case_

_against Sirius Black, the escaped Azkaban prisoner_

_accused of killing thirteen people with a single curse,_

_will be reopened for investigation. Albus Dumbledore,_

_Hogwarts' Headmaster, whose story about the return_

_of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named never once wavered_

_even among the most severe criticism,—_

Criticism from _The Prophet_, Harry thought.

_—has been saying for over two years now that Black_

_is innocent. According to Dumbledore, Peter Pettigrew_

_—whose wand and one finger were the only pieces_

_ever recovered of him—is alive and well, living as a_

_servant of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Dumbledore_

_alleges that Pettigrew is an illegal Animagus who can_

_transform into a rat and that he used this disguise to_

_frame Black for the thirteen murders. According to_

_Dumbledore, Black is a loyal ally and should be trusted_

_by the wizarding community._

"An investigation, see? They might clear him," Neville asked.

"A bit late, don't you think?" Harry said angrily.

"Better late than never," Neville said. "At least he'll be cleared."

"Won't bring him back, though, will it?" Harry shoved the paper back at Neville. He ignored Ron, Hermione, and Ginny when they joined him and Neville a little while later. Neville showed them the newspaper silently. For the rest of the ride, Harry sat staring out the window, blinking back angry tears.


	6. Hagrid's Assistant

Chapter Six

Hagrid's Assistant

When they arrived at Hogwarts, a familiar voice was telling first years where to go. Hagrid, Hogwarts' gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher, had been the one to tell Harry that he was a wizard. Harry always looked forward to spending time with Hagrid—though he had a rather unfortunate liking for dangerous and illegal creatures. In Harry's first year, Hagrid had taken care of a massive three-headed dog and illegally hatched a dragon, a Norwegian Ridgeback that he called Norbert. Nonetheless, Harry loved passing his free time in Hagrid's hut.

"Harry!" Hagrid boomed. Being a half-giant, Hagrid was very hard to miss. The first years were cowering below him. "See you up at the castle!"

Harry waved back. When he turned around, over one hundred carriages, all drawn by black, winged, horse-like creatures called thestrals, were waiting to take the rest of the students up to the castle. Being able to see the thestrals was a relatively new thing for Harry. One could only see them if they had seen death, as Harry had at the end of his fourth year, when Voldemort murdered his schoolmate, Cedric Diggory .

Except for Neville (who'd been present when his grandfather died), Harry's friends could not see the thestrals. He, Hermione, Ron, and Neville climbed into a carriage together while Ginny ran off with some of her friends.

At the castle, the students were ushered into the Great Hall. Four long tables sat in the middle of the room, and at the far end was a long table for the teachers. The Great Hall had been festively decorated with the Hogwarts' Coat of Arms—a badger and a great yellow-and-black H (for Hufflepuff), a snake and a green-and-silver S (for Slytherin), an eagle and a blue-and-bronze R (for Ravenclaw), and a lion and a red-and-gold G (for Gryffindor) were intertwined on the magnificent shields hanging above each table. Just in front of the teacher's table were a small stool and a ratty old hat. The older students sat down, chatting furiously, but became quiet when Professor McGonagall brought in the new first years. There seemed to be many more of them than Harry remembered seeing in other years.

The first years looked around nervously. Several of them jumped when the old hat's brim opened up and it began to sing:

"Your Good Old Sorting Hat

Will this year make its song a short one

As there are many new students here

And I need time to Sort them.

It matters not if this old hat

Says that you are a cunning Slytherin,

Or that Hufflepuff is where you will find

Your hard-working brethren.

And though all Ravenclaws

May have a sharp-honed mind,

And daring Gryffindors

Share their bravery in kind,

This old hat is pleased to say that

Hogwarts' students are of the rarest breed—

Students and houses can unite

Amid great hostility.

I am used for one thing only

And that duty is to separate

Young witches and wizards who

I now command to overcome their fates.

I will place you in one of these four houses

But you must not let my decision

Cloud you from potential friends:

Unite, good Hogwarts, and always fight division!"

There was only a smattering of applause as the students took in the Sorting Hat's new song—the second one to warn them to stand united against hostile forces. Harry looked at Hermione and Ron, who were both looking at the Slytherin table. No Slytherin would ever stoop so low as to unite with the other three houses at Hogwarts. It would disgrace their stance against Muggles and Muggle-borns.

Professor McGonagall called the first-years up alphabetically. By the time all had been Sorted, Harry was starving. He could see Ron clutching his stomach, waiting for the food to magically appear on their plates. But Professor Dumbledore had some announcements to make. Harry noticed, for the first time, that Tabitha was missing from the teacher's table. In fact, there were_ two_ empty seats beside Hagrid. Harry wondered (thought not for very long) to whom the second seat belonged.

"Good evening, everyone. I have the usual start-of-term notices to deliver. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, would like me to remind everyone that any sort of magic, fooling around, talking, or any other kind of childhood merriment is strictly forbidden in the corridors." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I would also like to point out that any standing rules and regulations set forth by our former High Inquisitor"—Umbridge, taking a Ministry-appointed position much too far—"are hereby null and void. All club and activity bans are lifted. The Forbidden Forest is strictly forbidden to student entry, as it is every year. Any student _caught_ in the forest will be punished." Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared smiles. Dumbledore knew quite well that every year, they'd ended up in the forest for some reason. "I would also like to take this time to welcome back Sybil Trelawney as our Divination teacher." Trelawney had been sacked by Umbridge the previous year. "And to tell students that a new club has been created. Any student interested in extracurricular Divination with Firenze should report to classroom eleven on the main floor on Monday and Friday nights." Firenze was the centaur who'd been kicked out of his herd when he agreed to take over Professor Trelawney's job. Though the stars and planets sometimes distracted him, he had been a much better teacher than Trelawney—though not good enough for Harry to want to take extra lessons with him.

Dumbledore continued, "And finally, we have two new members of our staff. Unfortunately, neither was able to make it to the feast tonight, but starting tomorrow, you will meet them in your lessons. Professor Tabitha McNoira, a celebrated hunter of Dark creatures, will be taking the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. And Professor Hagrid is happy to announce that he will now have an Assistant Care of Magical Creatures teacher, as the creatures slated for this term are especially dangerous. Now, time to eat!"

Mountains of food appeared on each table. As Ron shoveled a little bit of everything into his mouth, he said, "I wonder what kind of creatures Hagrid's got, if he's taken on an assistant? Must be pretty bad if he consented to having someone help him." Harry nodded. Hagrid _must _have agreed to it—when Dumbledore made the announcement, Hagrid was positively beaming. Harry wondered who it could be.

* * *

Harry fell asleep rather quickly that night. He slept solidly and awoke to a bright, calm morning. Ron was still sleeping, but Neville and their other roommates, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas, were already dressing for breakfast. "Ready, Harry?" Seamus asked.

"I'll wait for Ron," Harry replied. He practically dragged Ron out of bed. He wanted to see his schedule for the week.

They went down to the Great Hall less than ten minutes later. Ron's hair was still messed up from his pillow. He tried to flatten it down as they approached Hermione, who was already half done with her breakfast. "Honest, mate, how do you deal with this hair?" Ron said grumpily.

Harry ran a hand through his perpetually messy, black hair. "I don't," he said simply.

"I've got your schedules for you," Hermione said curtly when they sat down. "Harry, you and I have N.E.W.T. Potions with the rest of the Os from the other houses tomorrow afternoon."

"When do I have Potions?" Ron asked, scanning his schedule. "Ugh. This afternoon. It'll be me, Neville, Crabbe and Goyle, you'll see." Crabbe and Goyle were Malfoy's two thick-witted friends.

"What have I got when you have Potions?" Harry asked. "Divination!" he yelled in disgust. "And it's with the Slytherins!"

"Well, we're all in McGonagall's N.E.W.T. class tomorrow morning with Hufflepuff," Hermione said brightly. "And look! N.E.W.T. Care of Magical Creatures first thing today, and N.E.W.T. Defense Against the Dark Arts just after that ..."

"She just loves saying that we're in N.E.W.T. classes, doesn't she?" Ron muttered. "Highlight of her life, I'll bet."

* * *

After breakfast, they walked out towards Hagrid's hut with the rest of the sixth-year Gryffindors. Harry was anxious to see Hagrid's new assistant.

But only Hagrid was waiting for them outside his house. He hugged Harry tightly. "Ye all right? Abou' Sirius?" he said quietly.

"I'm all right," Harry replied, trying _not_ to think of Sirius. "How's Grawp?" Grawp was Hagrid's half-brother, a full-blooded giant. Hagrid had hid him in the Forbidden Forest last year, trying to teach him English.

"He's good. Knows a lot more English now. Bin askin' fer 'Hermy' all summer!" Hagrid said brightly.

Hermione blushed and said, "So he's still in the Forest?"

"Yep, doin' well as ever. Still got a ways to go, though."

"Hagrid, what was Dumbledore saying last night, about you having an assistant?" Ron asked hesitantly. "I mean, what kind of creatures ..."

"Can't say," Hagrid said. He grinned. "But my assistant's here already, jus' inside feedin' Fang. Yer welcome to go on in an' meet 'im."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked towards the door of Hagrid's hut. They didn't want to just walk in on this new teacher, not when they hadn't been properly introduced.

Then the door opened. A short, stocky, handsome wizard, with skin scarred from dragon burns, so freckled it looked tan, and a shock of hair as red as Ron's, was standing in front of them.

Their mouths dropped open. "_Charlie?_" Ron squeaked.

Charlie grinned. "I think that would be 'Professor Weasley.'"

"But ... I mean, the dragons ... "

"The dragons? I've been you-know-where all summer, and you didn't once say anything about my not being in Romania with the bloody dragons." Charlie looked around lovingly. "Anyway, I always loved being here, helping Hagrid with the animals. When Dumbledore asked if I'd like to be an assistant just for the year, I jumped on it. Plus," he lowered his voice. "There's work to be done around here, you understand?"

Hermione nodded, but Harry and Ron still looked confused. "For the Order!" she hissed at them. "Oh!" they both said knowingly.

"None of that will start until later, though," Charlie said brightly. "Today's lesson will be right out of the book." He tapped Ron's thin book. "Just identifying different parts of a dragon's anatomy and such. A lot of our early stuff will be right out of the book."

"Are we _working_ with dragons this year?" Hermione said nervously.

"Can't say!" Charlie said. "But we will be studying them extensively."

As he walked away to talk to Hagrid, Ron said, "Let's hope the two of them haven't bred some mad dragon and plan to let it loose during class."

"Or if they do," Harry replied. "Let it be during a double class with the Slytherins so Malfoy and his friends can be its breakfast."


	7. Defense Against the Dark Arts

Chapter Seven

Defense Against the Dark Arts

Hagrid's first lesson with Charlie went rather smoothly. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown were giggling and whispering through the whole thing, which annoyed Harry until he heard Lavender whisper to Parvati, "He's _so_ good-looking, and you can tell that's just what _Ron_ will look like in ten years!" They looked at Ron and burst into giggles again. Harry glanced over and saw that Ron had heard them, as his face was now as red as his hair. Hermione sighed impatiently.

Harry and Ron dragged themselves reluctantly to Defense Against the Darks after their short break. Hermione was walking a few paces ahead of them, calling over her shoulder for them to hurry. "_Honestly,_" she said irritably. "You'd think you were on your way to a full day of Potions or something!"

Just outside of class, they ran right into a group of sixth-year Slytherins. "...really cracking. Pucey said she'd probably make a bloody good snog," Draco Malfoy, Harry's least favorite schoolmate, was saying to his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, as he turned a corner and ran smack into Harry. They both stumbled back. "Watch where you're going, _Potter_!"

"What was that you were saying, Malfoy? Planning on snogging your mother?" Harry replied viciously.

Crabbe and Goyle clenched their massive fists as Malfoy reached for his wand. Before he could get it out, Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley of Hufflepuff rushed past. "Best get good seats!" Ernie called to Harry and Ron. "We hear the teacher's a real dish!"

"Hope this new teacher's fond of famous scarheads, eh, Potter?" Malfoy leaned toward Harry, "You're going to pay," he whispered. He glared at Harry's friends. "For everything. I'll get you when you haven't got your friends around to save you." Malfoy's father was in Azkaban Prison after Harry's fight with Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic.

Malfoy shoved past Harry as Crabbe and Goyle trudged off to their class—Harry was pleased to see that they did not score well enough in O.W.L.s to be in this class.

The only seats available when Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered were at the back of the room. Harry was not used to having class with more than two houses present—but in an N.E.W.T. class, the number of students from each house was very small. Malfoy, Millicent Bulstrode, and Pansy Parkinson were the only Slytherins. Harry was pleased to note that every sixth-year who'd learned Defense Against the Dark Arts from him last year was present. Hermione had organized the secret Defense Association—or Dumbledore's Army—in response to Umbridge's resistance to teaching her students practical Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry had been the teacher.

Justin Finch-Fletchley and Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, and Neville Longbottom of Gryffindor, and Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, and Michael Corner of Ravenclaw were all sitting eagerly at the front of the room. The rest of the class—Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Parvati and Padma Patil, Lavender Brown, and a handful of other girls from the three houses—was sitting in the back of the room, looking much less excited. Hermione, Ron, and Harry settled into three seats in the back corner.

Everyone was talking loudly and excitedly, but nonetheless heard Pansy Parkinson say crossly, "Well, she can't be _that_ pretty!" when Malfoy edged his desk forward.

"I wonder what sort of O.W.L. grade you needed to get into Tabitha's class?" Hermione murmured. "I mean, Care of Magical Creatures still goes by house, but I know Potions will be more like this. I mean, how many people actually got an O in Potions?" She caught Ron's expression. "Sorry, Ron. You still did really well."

"I think a lot of people here got Os," Harry said quickly. "At least, I hope everyone form the DA did. But maybe there are some Es?"

"Where _is_ this bird?" Malfoy said irritably.

As he spoke, a brilliant black raven swooped in through the window with a piece of parchment in its mouth. The bird perched itself on Tabitha's desk and deposited the paper by her chair. It looked around the room with large black eyes and stared right at Harry for a moment.

In an instant, Tabitha was sitting on the edge of the desk where the raven had just been. The class instantly hushed up. "Quiet," she murmured. "Just as a class should be." She looked around at her twenty-five students, half of whom (including some of the girls) were staring at her with open mouths.

Tabitha was indeed very striking. Prettier, in fact, than Cho Chang, the girl Harry had had a crush on until last year. She was dressed very smartly as well. Harry could see at once that Lavender Brown and the Patil twins approved of Tabitha's attractive appearance. She caught Harry's eye, and he thought again how familiar her eyes were.

"Good morning, class." She barely paused, but the class instinctively replied, "Good morning, Professor," as they had done with Professor Umbridge. "Well-rehearsed, I see," she said lightly. "My name is Tabitha McNoira, though you will all know me this year simply as _Professor_ McNoira." She cast a quick glance at the three who knew her simply as Tabitha. "And before you ask, yes, I really am quite experienced in the field of vanquishing the dark arts, though I was a student here at Hogwarts not long ago. I may be young, but I am probably more qualified than four of your last five teachers."

"Three guesses as to who was the best," Ron muttered. Harry grinned. Lupin had been their third-year professor, and he was indeed the best they'd had.

"I expect full cooperation from all of my students at all times," Tabitha said sternly. "Especially my N.E.W.T. students. Your O.W.L. grades tell me that you are quite capable of handling the creatures that we will be studying, and you will be encountering some dangerous creatures this year. I will show very little pity if your stupidity or inability to follow directions gets you hurt." She glanced briefly at Malfoy. Harry's insides clenched in anger at the memory of Malfoy's trying to get Hagrid's hippogriff, Buckbeak, executed after Malfoy provoked Buckbeak into attacking him.

"Ron," Harry whispered suddenly. "What happened to Buckbeak this summer?" Since enabling Sirius' second escape from the hands of the Ministry, Buckbeak had stayed with Harry's godfather, even living with him at 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Mr. Potter," Tabitha said suddenly.

Surprised, Harry looked up. Tabitha was staring at him sternly. "Yes, Ta—Professor?"

"As you were busy chatting with Mr. Weasley, you no doubt missed my saying that I expect my students to listen to me at all times. If you don't listen to what I have to tell you, you may just find yourselves in danger." Tabitha shot him one of the foul looks she was used to giving him. Malfoy smirked and whispered something to Pansy Parkinson. "Mr. Malfoy," Tabitha said, without taking her glance off of Harry. "Thirty points from Slytherin." She turned around and sat at her desk.

"Thirty points? But Potter—"

"Should have taught you a lesson not to speak while I am."

"That's not fair!" Malfoy burst out.

Tabitha narrowed her eyes. "Another thirty, Mr. Malfoy, and I can keep going if you can." Malfoy's face was red with anger. Harry could see him clenching his fists under his desk, restraining himself. "Now, everyone please take out your books and turn to chapter one. We'll be studying part-human creatures briefly before moving on to graphorns."

They read silently about werewolves, vampires, centaurs, and merpeople until just before the bell rang. Harry's mind kept wandering to Sirius. He kept feeling as though his godfather was somewhere close by.

"All right, books closed. Practical lesson will follow on Thursday. There will be no homework tonight, except for Mr. Malfoy and his two friends." She glared at the Slytherins. "For talking when you were supposed to be studying, I want an essay on every spell and potion that can be used to defend oneself from a dangerous part-human creature. You can hand that in to me tomorrow morning at breakfast." The bell rang. "Have a good day. Harry? Would you come here, please?" She fixed him with a cool stare. "Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger can wait for you outside."

Ron gave him a supportive look while Hermione said cheerfully, "Sure, Tabitha ... er, Professor McNoira. Harry, we'll wait for you at lunch."

Tabitha waited until they had shut the door to begin speaking. "Professor Dumbledore will meet you in this room directly after dinner," she said. "You and I will meet at the same time beginning tomorrow. I may not be as accomplished at Legilimency or Occlumency as Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore, but it will be enough to keep you practicing."

"Is that all, Professor?" Harry said.

"You may go." Harry's hand was on the doorknob when Tabitha added—quite kindly, actually—"And Harry?" Harry turned around. "Buckbeak was returned to Hagrid, but you mustn't tell anyone. Mr. Malfoy, especially." Harry nodded and let himself out.

He walked down to Great Hall alone. No one was in the corridors—he supposed they were already at lunch. He scanned the Gryffindor table for Ron and Hermione, but they weren't there. He sat down between Ginny Weasley and Seamus Finnegan.

"Harry, I'm glad you're here," Ginny said, sweeping a long piece of red hair behind her ear. "When are you holding Quidditch tryouts? I've asked Ron, but he's useless. Says he's leaving that up to you."

"Er." Harry hadn't actually thought once about Quidditch since arriving at Hogwarts. "Well, I have to talk about it with Ron."

"Well, let me know. Since Dumbledore lifted the lifetime ban Umbridge put on you, I'm not Seeker anymore. I'd like to try out for Chaser though, now that Angelina and Alicia are gone." Ginny grinned. "I've got to go. I'm meeting some people by the lake. See you!"

"Wait! Have you seen Ron and Hermione? I was supposed to meet them here."

Harry thought he saw a faint pink blush appear in her cheeks. "No ... er, maybe they stopped by the dormitories to change or something." She hurried away.

He was hungry, so he started eating without them. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan were discussing Tabitha. "Pretty, and powerful to boot!" Seamus was saying. "Right, Harry?"

"Sure, Seamus."

"And the way she handled Malfoy! Gryffindor's finally got a Snape for itself," Dean said happily. Snape always favored Slytherins over the other houses. Even if Tabitha didn't like him personally, Harry was glad that she favored his house.

Ron and Hermione appeared a few minutes later, running and a bit out of breath. "Where have you been?" Harry asked.

"Talking to Charlie," Ron said. "We ran into him on our way here, and he took us out to Hagrid's to show us, er ... "

"The graphorns that we'll be studying with Tabitha," Hermione said quickly. "They have three right now. Charlie says they're having a right old time keeping them under control."

"Yeah, graphorns," Ron echoed. "Right nasty creatures. I'm starving." As he dove into the piles of food in front of him, Hermione said quietly, "What did Tabitha want?"

"Just told me when my Occlumency lessons will be," Harry replied. "My first one's tonight with Dumbledore."

"You'd better practice for real this year, Harry," Hermione said wisely.

Harry sighed. "I know. It'll be much easier with Dumbledore, though."

After lunch, Harry, Ron, and Hermione split up. Ron was off to Potions, while Hermione had Arithmancy and Harry had Divination with most of the Hufflepuffs and Dean Thomas, who had also managed an O on his Potions O.W.L. Divination was the same as ever, though Professor Trelawney seemed to be savoring every moment. She was happy to be teaching again. Harry and Dean paired up over a crystal ball—"Not a single student passed this part of the O.W.L.," Professor Trelawney told them. "But as I knew that before you even sat the exam, I had planned to start with the orb long before I received your results."—and pretended to be seeing dark, foreboding things when Professor Trelawney passed by them. They spent most of the rest of the class in silence. Harry and Dean had never been very close, but Harry suspected they would be soon, having to endure Trelawney's class together everyday.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had a long break until dinner, but Harry had no homework to do. Hermione had a bit for Arithmancy, and poor Ron had to write ten inches on the magical properties of werewolf fur.

"I ought to send Lupin a letter. Maybe he'll tell me ..." Ron said hopefully.

"It's not very difficult, Ron. I'm almost done, all right? I'll help you in a minute," Hermione said as she put the finishing touches on her homework. They didn't notice when Harry slipped up to the dormitory to flip through his photo album. Something was bothering him.

He looked through the same photos over and over again. He didn't know what he was looking for. Nothing jumped out at him. He was relieved when Ron came up to say that they were heading down to dinner.

"Rough time with that essay?" Harry said.

"What?" Harry pointed silently to Ron's rumpled hair.

"Oh, yeah. Didn't get much done."

Ron ate quickly and returned to the common room to finish his essay, followed closely by Hermione. Harry finished eating and walked up to Tabitha's empty classroom. He sat at a desk, looking around for a moment until he spotted a piece of parchment lying on the floor by Tabitha's desk. He only meant to place it back on her desk, but he saw that it was signed "Charlie." For a moment he debated whether or not to read it. Just when he'd decided it to put it back, unread, Professor Dumbledore let himself in. He smiled warmly at Harry. "Ready to begin?" he asked.

* * *

I have no idea how the British school system works, so I don't have much of a grasp on JKR's system for Hogwarts. For now, I'm going to assume that, starting in the sixth year (when N.E.W.T. classes start), there is more mixing of the houses. Snape only accepts O-level students into his N.E.W.T. Potions class—if only 3 Gryffindors and 4 Slytherins score Os, will he only have seven students in that double class? So my version of JKR's system combines the houses starting in the sixth year, but only when necessary. I have a sketchy schedule for Ron and Harry, but this system may well end up leaving a hole in the story, so take all class schedules with a grain of salt, please! (I changed a bit in Ch. 6 when Harry, Ron, and Hermione discuss their schedules in order to follow the new schedule I came up with.)

I knew that Terry Boot was a Ravenclaw in Harry's year (from SS), but I checked the HP Lexicon to make sure that Michael and Anthony were indeed in Harry's year. According to the HPL, they are (evidence comes from OotP).


	8. Ron's Memories

****

Chapter Eight

Ron's Memories

Dumbledore vanished the desks from the room. He and Harry stood facing each other, several paces apart. "Concentrate, Harry," Dumbledore said softly. "Concentrate on clearing your mind. Concentrate on keeping me out." They made eye contact. Without even muttering "_Legilimens_," Dumbledore was able to trespass into Harry's mind.

Memories swam before his eyes. Sirius, grinning happily at Christmas last year ... Sirius, grumpily retreating to his room when the gaiety of the holidays began to die down ... Sirius, dueling with Bellatrix Lestrange, being hit by her spell, falling through the arch ... Harry, sitting in his room all summer, sulking ... seeing his family in the Mirror of Erised, all waving happily at him ... Lupin and Tabitha, whispering furiously about the Potters' wedding ...

Harry felt himself jerk his wand. In an instant, Dumbledore was out of his mind. Harry dropped to his knees. When he looked up, Dumbledore's nose had increased considerably in size. "A well-placed Engorgement Charm!" he said merrily, restoring his nose to the proper size. "Sometimes the best spells are the ones we don't mean to cast." He smiled at Harry. "That was very good, Harry. You didn't want me in your memories, so you cast me out as quickly as you could. But we need to work on getting you to react more quickly, and more effectively. Stunning spells work best, but more advanced Occlumens can cast out mind-trespassers without magic. But, yes, you are off to a good start."

They practiced for a solid hour, during which Harry was able to hit Dumbledore with a rather weak Stunning Spell twice. He was ready for a long night of sleep after being flooded with memories of Sirius for an hour. Before letting Harry go, Dumbledore reminded him to practice before going to sleep. "Clear your mind completely, Harry. Remember, Voldemort can still slip into your dreams if he wants to. It will take some weeks before your dreams will cease. Practicing with Professor McNoira will help you tremendously."

Harry nodded glumly. He wondered if Dumbledore knew that Tabitha hated him.

"I sense, Harry, that something is troubling you?" Dumbledore said. Harry wondered fleetingly if Dumbledore had sneaked Legilimens on him until the headmaster added, "You seem preoccupied, and I get the feeling it is not of a _Sirius_ matter?" Something struck Harry about the way Dumbledore said this, but he wasn't sure why.

"It's just," Harry hesitated. He heard wings flapping outside the window. Some owls were making late-night deliveries, he supposed. "Well, it's Tabitha. Professor McNoira, I mean. She—she doesn't seem to like me very much."

Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, last year I told you that I failed you by not being completely truthful to you. I'm afraid that I still haven't been, but in this case it is not my place to tell you everything."

"What do you mean? Who am I—?"

"Harry, how do you feel about Peter Pettigrew?" Dumbledore interrupted.

"Wormtail?" Harry was quite taken aback. Wormtail was the reason Harry's parents were dead, the reason Harry would soon have to face Lord Voldemort again. Harry hated him, maybe more than he hated Voldemort, and he told Dumbledore as much.

"Ah, so you harbor ill will towards the person indirectly responsible for your losing your parents?" Dumbledore nodded at his own question. "That, I'm sorry to say, is the same way Tabitha McNoira feels about you, Harry."

Harry looked at Dumbledore blankly. "But—but I don't even know her parents!"

Dumbledore smiled sadly at Harry. "As I said Harry, it is not my place to tell you the truth of this matter." With that, he left Harry alone in the empty classroom.

Harry decided to run after Dumbledore, to demand answers, but when he ran into the corridor, the headmaster was already gone. Harry walked up to the Gryffindor common room, dreading having to tell Ron and Hermione that there was anything more to the mystery that was Tabitha.

The Fat Lady—the portrait of a large woman in a pink dress who guarded the Gryffindor common room—looked sympathetically at Harry. "Poor dear, looking as sad as ever this evening!"

Harry mumbled the password ("Pink Knickers") to escape her pitying stare. Except for Ron and Hermione, the common room was empty. They were sitting very close in a squashy armchair by the fire, working on Ron's essay. Harry sighed and sank into the chair next to them.

"Harry! I didn't even hear you come in! How was your lesson?" Hermione asked.

"It was fine. Dumbledore's a much better teacher than Snape." Harry didn't want to tell them what Dumbledore had said about Tabitha, not until he knew more about her parents. What could have possibly done that caused their deaths?

He looked around the empty common room. "Why are you both in that chair? The table's open," he said.

"Oh. Er, the common room was really full before," Ron said. "This was the only seat open."

"We were working so hard we didn't even notice that everyone left," Hermione added.

"Yep. See? Almost done. Nine inches," Ron said, holding up his essay."Hey, Harry, when d'you reckon we should have Quidditch tryouts? Ginny's been asking me."

"She asked me, too. I suppose we could have them after one of my Occlumency lessons this week. What about Thursday?"

"That sounds good. We'll ask McGonagall tomorrow to book the Quidditch pitch." Ron sighed. "What—what about Kirke and Sloper? They're dead rotten Beaters. D'you think we should replace them?"

Last year, under Umbridge's rule, Harry and the Weasley twins had been banned from playing Quidditch after a scuffle with Draco Malfoy. The Gryffindor team had made some last-minute replacements—Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper as Beaters (Fred and George's position) and Ginny Weasley as Seeker (Harry's position).

"Maybe we could ask them to just try out again," Harry suggested. "After all, they could have improved." Ron did not look too happy at the prospect of telling Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper that they'd have to try out for their own positions. "Well, we need two Chasers, there's no way around that," Harry added.

"And it'll be hard to replace Angelina and Alicia. At least we've still got Katie this year."

"And Ginny's a rather good flyer. If she can score goals, she'll be our best bet for Chaser." Harry was surprised to feel himself getting red in the face as he talked about Ginny. He could picture her on the Quidditch pitch, pink-cheeked, brushing a piece of red hair out of her eyes ...

"What is it, Harry?"

"Huh?"

Ron gave him a funny look. "You just had this weird look on your face for a second. Are you all right?"

"I—I'm all right. Just tired, I guess. S'been a long day." He stood up. "I think I'm going to bed. G'night."

"'Night, Harry," Ron and Hermione chimed together.

But Harry wasn't that tired. He just wanted to be alone. He was supposed to clear his mind before going to sleep, but he had a lot of things to turn over before then.

First there was Tabitha. He _wanted_ to like her. She was friendly with Ginny, Hermione, and Tonks. She disliked the Slytherins very much. She was—possibly—married to Lupin, who Harry admired greatly. She and the Weasley twins had once been co-conspirators of sorts, and they seemed to think she was simply fantastic. According to them, she was an impressive Beater, and according to Dumbledore, she was fully qualified in Defense Against the Dark Arts. But Harry didn't know what to make of her. She appeared to dislike him for no apparent reason, but now Dumbledore had told him that he, Harry, was somehow responsible for her parents' deaths. But how could that be?

It wasn't fair. Not once had Harry's life been easy. He had no parents, no godfather. His only family was the Dursleys (and that was punishment enough for anything—yet Harry had done nothing to warrant their miserable treatment of him). Lord Voldemort was back and after Harry, the only person who could stop the evil wizard. A prophecy made before Harry's birth (and by Trelawney, the old fraud herself) said as much—"the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives."

Harry brushed his fingers against the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead—his "mark" from Voldemort. Voldemort had never heard the prophecy in full ... he never knew that he had to mark his future conqueror. Two boys born at the end of July that year fulfilled the prophecy—Harry, and Neville Longbottom.

But Voldemort didn't mark Neville as his equal, Harry thought bitterly. Voldemort went after Harry. He killed Harry's parents. He gave Harry that scar, and now Harry was the only one who could stop him.

And he had Potions tomorrow. With _Snape_. Last year, after seeing how James Potter tormented Snape in their Hogwarts' days, Harry thought that Snape had been right every one of those times that he said James was full of himself. But Sirius and Lupin had told him that Snape wasn't without blame ... and for him to get revenge for some schoolboy pranks by ordering the deaths of James Potter's entire family was unforgivable.

Harry sighed. He stared at the ceiling above his four-poster bed. He pretended to sleep when he heard Seamus and Dean come in at ten o'clock, followed a few minutes later by Neville. They were whispering about something, but Harry could only hear snatches of it. Most likely, they were trying not to wake him.

"... snogging right in the middle of the common room," Dean sniggered. "I never even imagined ..."

"Almost as bad as Fred Weasley and Angelina Johnson last year," Seamus added.

Harry half wanted to jump out of bed and see who could possibly be kissing in the common room ("Probably Ginny and her latest boyfriend," he thought, surprised by the pang of jealousy he suddenly felt). But he had almost succeeded in clearing his mind. He stared at the ceiling ... his mind was empty ... he was drifting to sleep ... he didn't even hear Ron come up to bed an hour later.

"Harry. HARRY!" Harry's eyes opened sleepily the next morning. "'Bout time, mate," Ron said. "We'll be late to breakfast, come on."

Harry dressed quickly. They walked down to the Great Hall together. Harry told Ron about the two Gryffindors snogging in the common room. "Who d'you think they were?" Harry said. He didn't want to suggest Ginny—Ron was her brother, after all, and hadn't been too keen on any of her boyfriends last year.

Ron's ears were very noticeably red as he tried to answer. "Er ... I dunno, maybe ... maybe a couple seventh years."

Harry narrowed his eyes at him. He felt very stupid all of a sudden. Ron and Hermione running into the Great Hall together, out of breath ... sitting together in an armchair by the fire in an otherwise deserted common room ... two people snogging in the same room as Ron, and _Harry_ was the one to say something ...

"Hermione has, er, stopped writing Viktor Krum?" Harry said tentatively. Krum was Seeker for Bulgaria's Quidditch team. He had been Durmstrang School's Triwizard Champion two years ago during the Hogwarts'-hosted Triwizard Tournament ... he had also had a crush on Hermione, and they kept in touch once Krum left Hogwarts.

"A few months ago ... why?"

Harry stopped and looked right at Ron. Their eyes met for a second. Suddenly, images flooded Harry's mind ... a very young Ron cuddling a teddy bear that became a giant, wriggling spider ... a fearful, panicked Ron pacing back and forth in a caved-in tunnel, wondering if his sister was alive, worrying that Hermione would not be able to be unpetrified ... Ron jealously watching Hermione dance with Viktor Krum at the Yule Ball ... Ron kissing Hermione in the Gryffindor common room ...

Harry would have burst out laughing at this last image if he had not been terrified as to what had just happened. He broke his eye contact with Ron, who stumbled back, panting. "Wha-what was that?" he demanded.

"I think—I think I just used Legilimency on you," Harry said, confused.

"So everything I just saw ... _you_ saw, too?"

Harry nodded.

"Harry ... me and Hermione, it's just ..."

"It's all right, Ron. I was thick not to notice." Harry grinned for a second. "You can tell me everything later. This is serious. How can I use Legilimency on you? I didn't say the incantation. I'm not even particularly good at Occlumency."

"I think you'd better talk to Dumbledore," Ron said seriously. "I'll go tell—"

"Hermione?" Harry said with a weak grin.


	9. Phineas Nigellus

****

Chapter Nine

Phineas Nigellus

Harry didn't know how he was going to tell Dumbledore about what had just happened. Normally, if something odd happened (like his scar hurting, which wasn't a very odd occurrence anymore), Ron and Hermione would encourage him to tell Dumbledore. And normally, Harry would convince himself that such a thing was too silly to get worked up about.

But after last year, Harry knew he had to tell Dumbledore everything. He wasn't going to let any more of his friends get hurt—or worse—because he was too embarrassed to ask Dumbledore for help.

Ron headed for the Gryffindor table to tell Hermione what had happened. Harry took a deep breath and walked towards the Head Table. Dumbledore was sitting with Tabitha, talking quietly. Charlie Weasley sat on her other side as he talked to Professor Flitwick, the tiny Charms teacher.

Tabitha looked up as Harry approached. Dumbledore stopped talking and turned to look at him. Harry's eyes darted from Dumbledore's kindly smiling face to Tabitha's cold, emotionless one. "Er ... Professor Dumbledore, could I talk to you? ... Privately?"

Dumbledore continued to smile. "Is something the matter, Harry?"

"It's only ... er," Harry hesitated. He would be having an Occlumency lesson with Tabitha tonight. Perhaps she should hear Harry as well. No, Harrytold himself firmly. If she had to know, Dumbledore would surely tell her. If not, then she could just stay in the dark, as far as Harry cared.

"Perhaps this would be best in my office?" Dumbledore said softly.

Harry sighed and grinned with relief. "Yes, sir, it would be."

Dumbledore nodded. "If you'll just have a bite of breakfast, Harry, then I will be ready for you in twenty minutes. Is that all right?" Harry agreed readily.

When he sat down at the Gryffindor table, Hermione was looking at him urgently. "You were able to use Legilimency on Ron?" she whispered. "How is that possible?"

"I dunno. I have to be at Dumbledore's office in twenty minutes. Probably best if you come with me, mate," Harry said to Ron.

Ron's face was still pink from Harry finding out about him and Hermione. He got even redder as he looked from Hermione to Harry. "Er, Hermione," he began. He coughed nervously. "When Harry ... well, when he did that, he sort of saw ... us, er, _together_. This year—in the common room ..."

Hermione choked on her pumpkin juice and her eyes opened rather wide. She turned as red as Ron. "Harry, we were going to tell you. It's just—"

"It's okay," Harry said quickly. "Really, I should have known. You're my best friends … I'm just so thick."

"You've had your mind on other things," Hermione said softly. "That's sort of why we didn't want to say anything. We were going to tell you, later, once you'd had time for … well, you know, to … to _recover_."

"How did, er … I mean, when …"

"The week before last term ended. They were fighting in the common room about Hermione's latest letter from Viktor Krum, and when I came back, they'd made up quite nicely," Ginny said matter-of-factly. She had just appeared at the Gryffindor table and was now settling herself across from Harry. Ron's face turned a darker shade of crimson.

"We're having tryouts on Thursday," Ron told her quickly, trying to change the subject. Harry, meanwhile, could still see Ron kissing Hermione. He giddily thought of his first kiss, with Cho Chang last Christmas. He didn't fancy her anymore, but it was still a nice memory …

"Good," Ginny said. "You know, Sloper and Kirke have been very excited about 'testing out' the new Chasers during tryouts," she added slyly.

Ron paled. Harry wondered if he was reconsidering kicking Sloper and Kirke off the team.

Harry only picked at his breakfast. Hermione and Ron were bickering about the best way to give the Gryffindor Beaters the bad news—and as they fought, one of Sloper and Kirke's friends overheard them and started demanding why Ron wanted to throw them off the team. Harry saw Dumbledore leaving the Head Table. As he left the Great Hall, he glanced in Harry's directions and smiled. Harry poked Ron in the side. "C'mon, mate, Dumbledore's going up to his office." They hurried away, leaving Hermione and Ginny to calm down Sloper and Kirke's angry friend.

The entrance to Dumbledore's office was on the second floor, behind a large stone gargoyle. It occurred to Harry that he didn't know Dumbledore's password this year.

Suddenly, Dumbledore's pet phoenix, Fawkes, appeared beside Harry with a piece of parchment in his mouth. "What is it, mate?" Ron asked, jumping when Fawkes disappeared.

****

"The password," Harry said with a grin. "Ton-Tongue Toffee!" Ton-Tongue Toffees were Fred and George inventions—they were imbued with an Engorgement Charm that caused the tongue of whoever ate them to swell up like a slug. The twins had once tricked Dudley Dursley into eating one of the sweets.

Once Harry said the password, the gargoyle opened up to reveal a large, spiraling stairway. Harry and Ron stepped onto it, and it carried them up to Dumbledore's office.

The office was always full of interesting instruments. The large Pensieve that Harry had used to see Snape's memories last year was back in its proper home, in Dumbledore's office. Fawkes was sitting on his perch besides Dumbledore's desk. The headmaster was standing beside his bird, stroking the brilliant red and gold feathers. Sitting in front of the desk was a witch with long, sleek black hair. Harry's heart sank. He didn't want Tabitha to be here.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled when he saw Harry and Ron. "Ah, so this matter of urgency has something to do with Mr. Weasley?" Tabitha turned around suddenly to look at them. She gave Ron a kind smile but ignored Harry. Dumbledore seemed to sense Harry's unease around Tabitha. "Professor McNoira and I were just finishing up."

"We're all set then, sir?" Tabitha asked Dumbledore.

"Everything is being put into place. No worries." Harry and Ron exchanged quick looks. "Now, if you'll excuse me and Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley …"

"Of course." Tabitha walked towards the door. She turned around before leaving. "I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore, but perhaps you know which class Mr. Malfoy, Miss Bulstrode, and Miss Parkinson of Slytherin have right now? They owe me some homework that I must have missed at breakfast." She sent a quick, mischievous look to both Harry and Ron.

"Perhaps you ought to check with Professor Snape? They are in his house," Dumbledore suggested.

Tabitha's face darkened. "I suppose I can find them myself," she said. "Thank you, Professor."

Once she had shut the door, Professor Dumbledore sat at his desk and motioned for Harry and Ron to sit as well. "Well," Dumbledore said. "Now that we are alone, Harry?"

Harry glanced at Ron. "Well, Ron and I were talking on our way to the Great Hall. And … and I was thinking that I wanted to know what he was thinking, and I looked right at him, right into his eyes, and it was like I was using Legilimency on him. I could see all these memories."

Dumbledore nodded. He looked at Ron. "Were you aware that Harry was inside your mind?" he asked.

Ron shrugged. "I guess. I just saw all these things all of a sudden, and I kind of had the feeling that I wasn't the only one there."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment. Then, very carefully, he said, "I think, Harry, that this is just another remnant of your original confrontation with Voldemort." When Harry was a baby and Voldemort had tried to kill him, the evil wizard didn't leave just a scar on Harry's forehead. He had inadvertently transferred some of his powers to the young wizard. Harry could speak Parseltongue—snake language—because of this. The backfired spell also caused a mental link between Harry and Voldemort, which is how Voldemort was able to manipulate Harry's dreams last year. Harry had to learn Occlumency to block this link, so Voldemort could not control his mind.

Ron looked panicked. "You mean, You-Know-Who is possessing Harry and using Legilimency on us?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, no, Mr. Weasley. Lord Voldemort is a master of Legilimency. He can perform it without the incantation, as I can. It seems that trying to teach Harry to block his mind with Occlumency has opened up his ability to use Legilimency. But with regular Occlumency lessons and practice, Harry, this particular trait shall be put to rest again. I wouldn't worry. Just try not to look your friends in the eye for a while." He chuckled. "If that's all, I have an urgent meeting to attend to now. I suppose we are done?" Harry nodded. "Good. Professor McNoira will be waiting for you in her classroom after dinner, Harry."

"I can't wait," Harry muttered to Ron. "Thanks, Professor."

As they left the office, Harry thought he heard something hissing. He looked around frantically for any sign of a snake—perhaps one of Voldemort's spies—but saw nothing. The hissing stopped, then started again. Ron poked him in his side. "Oy, mate," he whispered, pointing up to a portrait hanging on wall.

It was Phineas Nigellus, Hogwarts' least popular headmaster and Sirius Black's great-great-grandfather. Phineas was trying to get Harry's attention. "Sixth-floor corridor just past the corridor full of dented suits of armor," he whispered. "At the painting of the doe."

Harry looked at Ron curiously as they descended the spiral stairs. "What d'you think he wants?" Harry asked.

Ron shrugged. "I dunno, mate, but if we go see him, we'll be cutting it awfully close to McGonagall's class." Professor McGonagall hated students to be late to her class, but Harry's curiosity got the better of him. "Let's go," he said.

They ran up to the sixth floor quickly. It didn't take long to find the corridor full of dented armor. Sure enough, just around the corner was a short corridor with three paintings, one of which was of a doe eating grass in a large, lush forest. Phineas Nigellus appeared beside her a moment later, wheezing. "I didn't realize they moved the painting of that bloke, Cadogan. He nearly got me with his sword!"

"What do you want?" Harry demanded.

"My great-great-grandson died several months ago," Phineas said haughtily. "And no one will tell me _how_. My painting at Grimmauld Place was moved to another room, so I can't ask anyone there." The painting used to be in the room that Harry and Ron shared. Harry hadn't even noticed that Phineas had been missing.

"Well, why do you care?" Harry said hotly. "You weren't even fond of him! He was a disgrace to your family, or else he was burned from the family tree because someone was bored!"

Phineas actually looked hurt, but a moment later he continued angrily, "He certainly was a disgrace to the Blacks! He didn't even leave a son to pass on the family name. But don't speak of something that you do not know about. I was quite fond of him. Sirius may not have been of the same mindset as the rest of our family, but he wasn't afraid to tell them all what he believed. My great-grandson Alphard did not have that sense of bravery. The best thing he ever did was give Sirius money to live off of after he ran away from my great-grandson and his wife, that horrible, screeching woman." Phineas' look softened considerably. "Please, tell me what happened to him."

"Well, he was killed by your lovely great-great-granddaughter, all right?" Harry said hotly. "Someone who's really looking out to keep the Blacks' legacy alive by killing her own cousin."

"Bellatrix? Bellatrix killed Sirius?" Phineas nodded to himself. He paced back and forth. The doe watched him intently. "Ah. Ah, so he died fighting for Dumbledore?"

"He died fighting for _me_," Harry said softly.

Phineas narrowed his eyes. "But surely," he was mumbling. "He'd have thought of—"

"Harry, Ron, is there a reason you're here and not in class, where you belong?" a sharp voice said behind them. Tabitha was approaching them quickly from another corridor. Phineas Nigellus watched her, wide-eyed.

"Er … we were just on our way," Ron said quickly. He and Harry cast one last look at Phineas before bolting down the corridor, towards the stairs that would lead to Transfiguration. Harry thought he heard Phineas' voice say, "Tabitha!" as he and Ron were leaving.

"McGonagall won't be happy," Ron said as they leapt past a trick stair. Harry groaned inwardly. McGonagall hated it when students were late to her class.

Somehow, they were able to slip into the room just as Professor McGonagall was shutting the door. "Cutting it a bit close today?" she said sharply. "Go on, take your seats."

Hermione had saved them both seats in the front of the room. Scattered around were several Gryffindor and Hufflepuff sixth-years. Dean Thomas and a handful of girls were the only other Gryffindors. Many of the Hufflepuffs from Defense Against the Dark Arts were present as well.

"Where were you?" Hermione whispered crossly.

"We'll tell you later," Ron muttered.

Professor McGonagall was waiting to begin. Her mere presence caused all chattering to cease, and she began by congratulating them all on doing so well on their O.W.L. "You should all be aware, however," she continued. "That this class will not be an easy one. This is the year that we begin studying human transfiguration, which is difficult and dangerous magic. I will teach you the theory behind Animagi—yes, Miss Granger, I am aware that we studied Animagi in your third year, but we will study much further than we did last time." Hermione lowered her eagerly raised hand. "Any student behaving irresponsibly will be asked to leave and _will not_ be asked to return. Now, to begin, can anyone tell me what a Metamorphmagus is?"

Hermione's hand shot in the hair, followed closely by Ron's and Harry's. Tonks was a Metamorphmagus, and one of her pastimes last summer was transforming herself for Ginny and Hermione's amusement. Harry thought he could see a faint smile on McGonagall's lips as she said, "Yes, Mr. Weasley?"

"Metamorphmagi can transform their appearances without a wand," Ron replied happily. He had never been able to answer a teacher so thoroughly on a topic they hadn't even studied yet. "They can change their hair and eye color, and the shapes of their face and the rest of their body. And they're born that way. You can't become one like you can an Animagus." Ron looked very pleased with himself as McGonagall said, "Very good, Mr. Weasley," and moved on with the lesson. Harry got his first bit of homework—eight inches about the powers of Metamorphmagi and some famous Metamorphmagi from wizard history. He and Ron also arranged for Quidditch tryouts to be held on Thursday evening.

They had a short break before lunch, and, as it was a nice day, they went down to the lake. Harry walked a few paces ahead. When he turned around to see how closely Ron and Hermione were following, he saw that they were holding hands. His stomach lurched with jealousy. Why couldn't he be walking around, hand-in-hand with a pretty girl? But he let go of the thought just as quickly as it came. He shouldn't be jealous of Ron. He'd had his chance with Cho last year and blew it. But he knew it wasn't Cho he wanted to hold hands with …

They settled beneath the same tree that Harry had seen his father, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew sit under in Snape's memory. Harry could see his father playing with the Snitch he'd nicked, Sirius looking handsomely bored.

"So where were you?" Hermione demanded. "I know you weren't with Dumbledore, because he returned to the Great Hall before Ginny and I left."

"Sirius' great-great-grandfather wanted to talk to us," Harry said. "You know, Phineas—"

"Nigellus. He was the most unpopular Headmaster Hogwarts has ever—"

"Yes, Hermione, we know. You don't have to have read _Hogwarts, A History_ to know that," Ron said teasingly.

She rolled her eyes at him, but Harry noticed that she'd taken his hand again. "Go on, Harry."

"He wanted to know how Sirius died. No one ever told him how," Harry said simply.

"Did you tell him?" Hermione sounded far too anxious.

"Well, yeah, we told him."

"Harry, didn't you think there might be a _reason_ why no one told him? Maybe Dumbledore didn't want him to know …"

"Hermione, it's his great-great-grandson! He deserves to know!"

"I know what you're saying, Harry …"

"Listen, Hermione, I don't think you're exactly right in the head this year," Harry said hotly.

"Hey, Harry, watch it!" Ron snapped.

"Well, first she's all chummy with Tabitha, then she doesn't believe me when I tell her about Lupin and Tabitha talking in the kitchen—"

"I _do_ believe you, Harry! I believe what you heard, I just don't think …"

"—and now she's saying we can't tell a _painting_ that his great-great-grandson was killed by his cousin! What's next, Hermione? Are we going to catch you snogging Draco Malfoy in the corridors?" Harry snarled.

Hermione burst into tears and ran up to the castle. Ron turned to Harry, shouting furiously, "What'd you do that for? She was only worried about everyone's safety! Maybe we _shouldn't_ have told Nigellus about Sirius."

"Sure, take her side," Harry muttered angrily.

"Harry."

"No, it's all right, Ron. Go take care of your _girlfriend_." Harry flopped down on the ground, his back against the tree, completely ignoring Ron.

Ron stared at him for a moment in silence. When he spoke, his voice was thick with anger. "We miss Sirius, too, you know. Remember, Hermione helped you save him the first time. I know you're sad he died. But instead of taking it out on us like you did when Cedric died, you could just tell us you're upset, and we'll help you. That's what friends are for, mate." Harry heard him run after Hermione.

Seeing Hermione run from him sobbing, and imagining James Potter and Sirius Black under this tree, so young and so completely unaware of their short futures, and without caring that there were other students around, some who had heard arguing and were looking towards the tree for the source, Harry began to sob. Rivers of tears poured down his cheeks as he sat by the calm lake. His shoulders shook with each heaving sob. A long tentacle emerged from the lake and landed gently on Harry's knee, patting his leg soothingly.


	10. Stunned

Chapter Ten

Stunned

Harry could have sat under that tree all day. He wondered what it would take to provoke the squid to drag him to the bottom of the lake.

He had long since stopped crying. He just sat there, in the cool grass, watching the flat surface of the lake ripple randomly with the movements of the giant squid. People were heading up to the castle for lunch. He wasn't hungry, and he'd rather not see Hermione and Ron just yet; he'd be seeing Hermione soon enough in Potions. He knew he shouldn't have been so harsh to her, but they just didn't understand. They grew up with their parents. They never had horrible relatives like the Dursleys for their only family. They didn't spend ten years of their lives living in a cupboard under the stairs, nor did they have dead godfathers who were wanted by the Ministry of Magic. They were not being sought out by the greatest Dark wizard of their time. They may have helped him on occasion, but Harry was truly alone in his fight.

He heard someone approaching. He turned around to find Luna Lovegood standing next to him, wearing her usual dreamy look. Her wand, along with her long, dirty blond hair, was tucked behind her ear. "Hello, Harry," she said.

"Hi, Luna," he mumbled hoarsely.

Luna sat down next to him. Luna was a very nice person, as Harry had found out last year, but she was very odd and quite content to exist in her own dream world. Her father was editor of the magazine _The Quibbler_, which, though usually full of ridiculous stories, had run an article about Harry last year that helped to counter all the bad press he and Dumbledore were getting in _The Daily Prophet_.

"You're still upset about that Sirius Black, aren't you?" she said softly, plucking a blade of grass and twirling it between her thumb and forefinger. "He was your uncle or something, right?"

"My godfather," Harry murmured.

"I heard you crying. Reminded me a bit of when my mum died. But it's only been two months, so I suppose you should still be crying … will we still be doing the Defense Association this year?" Luna looked at him quizzically, as if she hadn't just switched subjects in the same breath.

Harry shook his head. "Professor McNoira seems like she knows what she's doing," he said. "Even if she hates me," he muttered under his breath, feeling a giant lump form in his throat. Apparently he wasn't quite done crying.

"Yes, I suppose she does," Luna said dreamily, not having heard Harry's muttered comment. "Still, we learned a lot of useful things from you. We wouldn't have gotten through the Ministry any other way."

Harry jumped up quickly, his throat tight, his eyes burning. "We would have all been killed if Dumbledore hadn't come. Loads of good all that practice would have done if we'd been killed, huh?"

Luna hummed softly, as if she hadn't heard Harry. He began walking up to the castle, taking slow, deep breaths to calm himself down. Exploding at Loony Lovegood would do him about as much good as making Hermione cry.

Harry walked right past the Great Hall. He ignored the laughing and the happy chatter and stormed upstairs towards the Gryffindor common room. He just wanted to be alone before he had to endure Potions.

He collided with a mass of red hair as he climbed through the hole behind the portrait of the Fat Lady. Ginny Weasley pulled herself up and swept her hair from her face. "In a hurry?" she said breathlessly. Harry made to brush by her, but Ginny grabbed his arm. "Are you just going to run away this year, Harry?" she said angrily, flushing pink. "Are you just going to ignore everything and pretend like everything's all right?" She was much stronger than she looked, Harry thought as she yanked him to an armchair by the fire. She stood over him, getting redder in the face as she spoke. "Sirius _died_, Harry. I haven't heard you talk about him _once_ this summer. We were all with you that day, remember? We were there to _help_ you. What makes you think we don't want to help you now?"

Harry squirmed under her fierce gaze. "I don't need help," he mumbled pathetically.

"So Hermione's bawling and Ron's bloody cheesed at you for no reason, then?"

Harry kept his eyes lowered. He wanted to think that Ginny just didn't understand … but he knew that she, like Ron and Hermione, were just looking out for him. Ginny sighed and sat in the chair across from Harry, grasping his hand tightly. Her hand felt very warm in his. His eyes were prickling with hot tears again. He wasn't going to cry in front of Ginny.

She didn't say anything else. Harry tried to get up, but she held him firmly in place. She was waiting for him to speak. But he couldn't. If he opened his mouth, no words would be able to escape.

The bell rang to signal the end of lunch. Finally, they stood to go to their respective classes. Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek. He felt his face turn flame-red, and he saw as she hurried away that her face was turning crimson as well.

He trudged down to the dungeons for Potions by himself. Hermione was already there, sitting with Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot of Hufflepuff. Harry took a seat beside Dean Thomas, noting that he, Dean, and Hermione were the only Gryffindors.

"This'll be rough," Dean whispered to him. "Snape must've been hoping that no Gryffindor would manage to get into his N.E.W.T. class." Harry muttered an agreement.

Snape entered the classroom a moment later, his black robes whipping behind him. "Well, I _am_ surprised at the number of you who managed an O on your O.W.L.," he said darkly. He sneered at Harry. "Your examiner must have been a fan," he murmured. "There are some students here, however, who deserved their Os." He smirked at the Slytherins, the same three from Defense Against the Dark Arts. Draco Malfoy looked thrilled that Harry managed an O in Potions—it would certainly provide him some amusement this year.

But if Malfoy was looking forward to Harry's being tormented by Snape, he was disappointed by the end of the lesson. Snape was making an even bigger effort than Hermione to ignore Harry. He was obviously holding a grudge over the episode with the Pensieve last year.

As he did last year, Harry found Potions much easier when Snape ignored him. He knew that Snape would find some way to destroy his potion or give him a poor grade, but Harry knew that didn't matter. As long as he made the potion correctly, he would do well on his N.E.W.T. and he would be able to become an Auror. If Snape was going to ignore him for the next two years, that was just fine.

But by the end of the lesson, Harry felt even worse than he had before. He didn't have Ron there to help pass the time, Hermione wasn't hissing helpful hints in his ear, and even Snape's ignoring him was disconcerting—and they had a hefty essay to write on the various uses of undiluted Bundimun secretions.

Harry dreaded having to go to Herbology, especially when Dean remarked on their way to the greenhouses, "Are you and Hermione in a fight or something?"

Dean partnered with Seamus Finnegan once they'd arrived at Greenhouse Four, so Harry headed toward Neville Longbottom. Neville had been with them at the Ministry last year. His parents were in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, in the long-term ward of the Spell Damages Floor. Neville never told anyone about his parents; he was raised by his gran, and Harry had always assumed they were dead, until he found out that Frank and Alice Longbottom—both Aurors and members of the original Order of the Phoenix—had actually been tortured to insanity by Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange when Neville was a small child.

Neville was not a very strong wizard. He had a poor memory and was easily flustered, especially in the presence of Snape. Until last year, he'd used his father's wand, but that broke during the fight at the Ministry. Harry saw that Neville now had a new, long, shiny, sturdy wand of his own. Neville smiled when he saw Harry admiring his new wand. "It's a nice one, isn't it?" he said. "Gran was upset that I broke Dad's, but she was just so relieved that I didn't die that—" He broke off and turned red. "Sorry, Harry. I wasn't thinking."

Harry ignored Neville. He angrily jammed a pair of gloves on his hands and began to work in the mound of fresh soil in front of him. Neville worked silently at his side, but the rest of the class was buzzing with chatter. Ron and Hermione were leaning very closely over a shared pile of earth, whispering and casting furtive glances in Harry's direction.

After class, they seemed to want to walk with him up to the castle, but Harry walked right past them towards Hagrid's hut. His stomach was rumbling for dinner, but he had to talk to someone who hadn't been at the Ministry last year … someone that he could just pour everything out to …

There were muffled voices coming from inside Hagrid's hut. Harry paused before knocking on the door half-heartedly. Fang, Hagrid's boarhound, gave an excited bark.

"Who's there?" came Hagrid's gruff voice.

"It's—it's Harry."

Hagrid cracked the door open and peered out. "Ah. Harry." He glanced over his shoulder. Whoever had been speaking a moment ago was now completely quiet. "What d'ya—"

"I just want to talk," Harry said softly.

Hagrid cast another look over his shoulder. "Best come back later tonight, Harry," Hagrid whispered. "Eleven all righ'?"

Harry nodded. Hagrid gave him a sad smile and shut the door once Harry had turned around. He was overwhelmed by curiosity. What could Hagrid be doing that required him to be so secretive? He knew at once: Order business.

He pretended to walk up to the castle, but then doubled back and carefully positioned himself under Hagrid's window. Three voices—Hagrid's, another man's, and a woman's—drifted out into Harry's ears.

"We're not even sure this will _work_," the woman whispered frantically. Harry recognized the soft brogue at once—Tabitha. "We could be endangering a lot of students—"

"Bollocks," the second man said. "The situation will be under control. We have the tightest security in place—"

"It's all good in theory, yes," Tabitha replied hotly. "But a student can get too close, or move suddenly. What if it's provoked?"

"Easy," Hagrid's voice boomed. "We don' let Malfoy er any of the other Slytherins near it. Mind ye, I'd like ter see all of 'em get in a bad way with a dragon, but that's just what we're tryin' ter prevent. Long as we keep 'em away, they can't cause no problems."

Did Hagrid just say _dragon_? Harry's mind raced. Surely they wouldn't be bringing a dragon to Hogwarts, not to study? But that would explain why Charlie was here ... and why they were studying dragons from their books in Care of Magical Creatures. But surely, _surely_, using a live dragon in class wouldn't be allowed?

"If it wasn't Dumbledore," Tabitha was saying. "I would drop this plan straight away. But he's the one who made the discovery, so I won't question him."

The second man—Harry recognized his voice now as Charlie Weasley's—sighed. "Let's just leave it where it is, shall we? I'm famished."

Harry jumped up and began running to the Great Hall. He didn't want them to know he'd been spying.

* * *

Harry would have liked to tell Ron and Hermione what he just heard, but he wasn't ready to make up with them just yet. He sat between Seamus and Ginny at dinner. He and Ginny reached for the same dish of steak-and-kidney pie and their hands brushed. Harry's skin prickled warmly, and when he looked at Ginny, he saw that she had gone a bit pink. His cheek suddenly burned where she'd kissed him earlier.

Going right up to the dormitory for a long night of sleep was all Harry wanted to do once he'd finished eating. But he had an Occlumency lesson with Tabitha to endure, and then he should probably start his Transfiguration and Potions homework. He couldn't believe it was only the second day of classes.

He was beginning to wonder if Ron had told anyone about Quidditch tryouts when Katie Bell, a seventh year and their team's only remaining Chaser, approached him. "Harry!" she said brightly. "Congratulations on being made captain. I'm glad it wasn't me; I'd've made a right lousy one. Do you know yet when we're having tryouts for the rest of the team?"

"Thursday evening at seven," Harry replied, glancing quickly in Ron's direction. "We're looking for two Chasers and two Beaters."

Katie sighed in relief. "So we're not keeping Sloper and Kirke then?" she said. "I'm always afraid they're going to hit the Bludgers right at us instead of the other team." She smiled. "Well, thanks, Harry. I'll see you on Thursday evening, then."

Harry went up to the common room and wrote out a notice for Quidditch tryouts, then tacked it up on the notice board. He felt a wave of dread wash over him as he climbed out of the portrait hole and starting walking down to Tabitha's classroom. He passed right by Ginny and a group of her friends. His cheek started burning again.

He knocked on the classroom door. Tabitha called for him to come in. She was sitting at her desk, dressed in Muggle clothes and reading a long piece of parchment. She vanished the parchment when Harry entered and gave him a stiff smile. "You can take your robes off, if you'd like," she said curtly. Harry shrugged off his robes and laid them over a nearby chair.

Tabitha stood up, smoothing down her skirt and fixing her long hair. She carried herself in a very haughty, bored manner that reminded Harry of someone—he just didn't know who. Her dark eyes sparkled in the pale light emanating from the torches that lined the walls. She stood directly across from Harry. "Professor Dumbledore says that you practiced Stunning spells with him last night, and that's what we're going to continue with tonight." With her eyes boring into Harry's, she muttered, "_Legilimens_!"

Memories were racing before his eyes for the second night in a row. They were all of Sirius again … and then Ginny, blushing as she kissed his cheek … and then the thrilling moment he found out Sirius was his godfather, innocent, and Harry's legal guardian … _I have to stop her_, Harry thought. _I have to Stun her_ … and then misery at Privet Drive, as he pored over his photo album, seeing his parents and Lupin and Sirius, and that woman and her dark-haired little girl …

Just as suddenly as she had entered his mind, Tabitha was out. Harry blinked in surprise. "Good-good job," Tabitha gasped. Harry looked down at his wand, then up at Tabitha. He hadn't used his wand—he _knew_ he hadn't. And Tabitha didn't look as if she had been Stunned, or had any other spell cast on her.

"Let's try that again," Tabitha said slowly. She took a deep, shaky breath and made eye contact with Harry. "_Legilimens_!"

Harry was ready. He wasn't going to let her see his intimate memories … he wouldn't let her see Sirius or Ginny or Ron and Hermione … as he saw Tabitha and Lupin, hunched over the table at Grimmauld Place, Harry jabbed his wand at Tabitha and yelled, "_Stupefy_!"

Tabitha was snapped out of his memories. Harry blinked, almost disbelieving that he had been able to block her so quickly. He was about to smile at himself when he caught sight of her.

She had been violently knocked against her desk. Her head was hanging limply over her shoulder, her dark hair falling across her face.

Harry's first thought was that he'd killed her. Gripped with fear, he approached her slowly. "P-professor McNoira?" he said. "Tabitha?" He pointed his wand at her and cried the counter-spell, "_Enervate_!" She didn't move.

Harry began to shake fiercely. What had he just done? Did he really Stun her, or had he accidentally hit her with a much worse spell?

He had to get help. He would get Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, and then get Dumbledore. He was so wrapped up in his worry that he didn't even realize that he was running; he didn't see Charlie Weasley coming around the corner until he'd crashed right into him.

"Harry!" Charlie said, catching him at the elbow. "What's wrong, mate? Where's Ron?"

Harry didn't know what to do. He motioned frantically to Tabitha's classroom. "I don't know how," he rambled. "It was an accident. I think she hit her head …"

Charlie looked very confused. "What are you talking about, Harry?"

"Tabitha! I think I killed her!"

Fear crossed Charlie's face as he let Harry go. He ran to Tabitha's classroom. Harry heard his cry of surprise. He reappeared a moment later, with Tabitha lying limply in his arms. "Get Dumbledore!" he cried, sprinting to the hospital wing.

But Harry was suddenly rooted to the spot. He couldn't move.

Ron and Hermione rounded the corner. They jumped when they saw him. Any animosity between them melted as Hermione shrieked, "Harry! What's wrong? You look like you're going to be sick!" Harry opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to get rid of the dryness that permeated it. Hermione touched his arm. "Harry? Harry, what is it?"

"I think I just killed Tabitha," Harry said. Hermione gasped; Ron turned white. And then Harry blacked out.


	11. Avalanche

Chapter Eleven

Avalanche

When Harry opened his eyes, he wondered why everything looked so fuzzy. He groped around until he found his glasses on the bedside tables. He put them on and looked around slowly. Why was he in the hospital wing?

Then, with a stab of fear, he remembered: Tabitha.

He tried to pull himself out of bed, but he was having trouble making himself move. Madam Pomfrey suddenly appeared beside him. "Oh, no, Mr. Potter, not just yet. You're still too weak. Here, have a bit of this." She shoved a spoonful of steaming potion into his mouth. It tasted like a vomit-flavored Bertie Botts' Every-Flavor Bean.

Harry gagged and fought against her. "Where is she? Where's Tabitha? Is she all right?"

Madam Pomfrey tsked as she pushed Harry back against his pillow. "_Professor McNoira,_ Mr. Potter. And she's right over there. I've drawn the curtain to give them some privacy. She's not awake yet, but I'm sure she'll be just fine. She suffered much worse injuries when she was a student here, playing Quidditch. Professor Weasley says you just found her in her room. Did you see what happened?"

"What?" No, Harry wanted to say. I killed her. Didn't Madam Pomfrey see that she wasn't moving? Hadn't Charlie carried her body up here? Professor Dumbledore would be coming soon with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. They would put Harry on trial and he'd be in Azkaban for the rest of his life …

He suddenly felt something like a large weight pushing him into his bed. "Mr. Potter!" Madam Pomfrey was shouting, a note of fear in her voice. "Calm down, calm down! You didn't kill anyone! You're not going to Azkaban!"

Harry realized that he had been yelling and fighting with Madam Pomfrey. He let his arms rest by his side and she said, "Well, that's better, isn't it?" The weight on his chest lifted with a flick of her wand.

"I need to talk to Dumbledore!" Harry cried.

"You need to rest," Madam Pomfrey said firmly.

Harry indeed felt himself beginning to relax. He wondered what kind of potion Madam Pomfrey had given him.

He woke up screaming. Every time he hit Tabitha with that spell in his dreams, he saw Sirius being knocked backward, behind that mysterious archway in the Department of Mysteries.

Madam Pomfrey was on top of him again, this time with a more pleasant-tasting potion. Harry calmed immediately. "I told you we shouldn't try to wake him, Headmaster!" Madam Pomfrey said hotly. "The boy needs his rest!"

"Poppy, Poppy," said Dumbledore soothingly. "I assure you, your patient will be just fine when I'm done with him. Now, if you don't mind, I think Remus Lupin has a question for you."

Harry sat up, reaching for his glasses again. Professor Dumbledore had conjured himself a chair and was sitting next to Harry's bed. "Professor Dumbledore," Harry gasped. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean …"

Dumbledore held up an old, white hand. "Harry." He smiled softly. "I know exactly what happened. I know you didn't mean to hurt Professor McNoira." Harry's head was still too fuzzy for him to think to ask how Dumbledore knew. He tried to shake thoughts of death and Azkaban from his mind.

"Is she awake? I need to tell her that I didn't mean ..."

"Harry, Professor McNoira knows very well that you didn't mean to hurt her. Your Stunning spell was stronger than either of you expected it to be. If anything, this will teach Tabitha to move her desk before practicing with you. She has a rather nasty bump on her head, but it's not much worse than that. Of course, Madam Pomfrey wants to keep her in here for several days." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "And you will not be permitted to leave until tomorrow morning, I'm afraid." He smiled at Harry once more, then moved towards Tabitha's curtained bed.

Harry didn't want to stay at the hospital wing overnight, but he was just so relieved that he hadn't killed Tabitha that he would have happily stayed there a week. He kept glancing towards Tabitha's bed, but he couldn't see much from his position. He lay back on the pillow and sighed.

He had caught her off-guard. She was still shaken from the first go—but Harry knew it wasn't from his Stunning her, because he hadn't been able to grab his wand. She saw something in Harry's memories that upset her. He closed his eyes, trying to think of what it was that she'd seen before jumping out of Harry's mind ...

"He can't have visitors now! He's sleeping, and besides, it's far too late!" Madam Pomfrey was shouting.

"Oh, please?" came Hermione's voice. "We just want to be sure he's all right ..."

Madam Pomfrey tsked. "Ten minutes," she said curtly.

Harry sat up, grinning. Ron and Hermione were approaching his bed, looking anxious. "Oh, you look much better!" Hermione cried, nearly knocking him over with a tight hug.

"We near about panicked when you fainted," Ron said. Hermione made a disapproving noise. Ron turned red. "Well, that is, I mean, _I_ panicked, but Hermione put the feather-light charm on you so we could bring you up here."

Harry touched his forehead gingerly. He had just noticed a dull, throbbing pain. "Did I hit my head when I fell?" he asked.

Ron looked away, a bit embarrassed. Hermione said quickly, "Well, we tried Mobilicorpus first, but we didn't realize how hard it would be to maneuver you around corners ..."

"I deserved it, I guess," Harry joked. He lowered his head a bit. "Listen ... I'm really sorry about what I said today. We shouldn't be fighting, not now."

"It's all right, Harry." Hermione gave him a small smile, but Harry could see that she was still upset at what he'd said earlier.

"So what happened?" Ron asked eagerly. "When we bumped into you, you said you'd offed Tabitha."

Harry laughed nervously. He recounted the night's lesson to them, stressing how frightening it had been when he thought he'd killed Tabitha. "She'll hate me even worse now," he said glumly.

"Tell her to move her bloody desk next time!" Ron cried. "Honestly, she wouldn't've hit her head if it hadn't been there."

"All right, that was more than ten minutes!" Madam Pomfrey cried. She was standing at the foot of Harry's bed with more potion. "Off to bed now. You'll be up in a few hours for breakfast, and Mr. Potter needs his rest. Go on, out!" Ron and Hermione bid Harry goodnight and left for the common room together, holding hands. Madam Pomfrey forced the warm potion down Harry's throat, and he soon drifted into a sound, dreamless sleep.

* * *

By next morning at breakfast, rumors were filling the school. Students who had seen Charlie running Tabitha up to the hospital wing and then seen Hermione and Ron carrying Harry were saying that there had been an attack and, surely, if Lord Voldemort was really back, he was behind it. Others claimed that Harry and Tabitha had attacked _each other_—but no one could come up with a good reason why. Harry's appearance in the Great Hall caused a lot of whispers.

His fellow Gryffindors pelted him with questions. Harry didn't know exactly how to respond, so he made up a story about an escaped fire-crab, which only a few people seemed to believe. Hermione and Ron, though talking to him and obviously relieved that he was all right, were still a bit distant. Every time Harry looked at them, he still saw Hermione's face covered in tears and Ron red with anger.

When the entire school appeared to be present, Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement, which he never did at breakfast. "I have an unfortunate bit of news for everyone this morning," he said gravely. "Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor McNoira, will be indisposed for the remainder of the week." He smiled as mixed cheers of excitement and cries of disappointment (these mainly from the boys) filled the hall. "However, I have found a temporary replacement." The soft cheering stopped. "Professor Remus Lupin will be back for several days, until Professor McNoira is well enough to return to class."

A great murmur filled the Hall. In Harry's third year, when Lupin was their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, none of the students (or their parents) knew he was a werewolf. Before the year concluded, however, a vengeful Snape let it "slip" to some Slytherins that they, in fact, had a werewolf for a teacher. Lupin had resigned before he or Dumbledore suffered any real abuse from angry parents.

But Dumbledore was ready. "Your parents have been notified," he continued merrily. "And I have made it clear that as we are nowhere near the full moon, none of you are in danger of being mauled by a werewolf!" He didn't seem to pacify a great majority of the students. In fact, most students under the fourth year, who had never known Lupin, looked both confused and terrified. Many of them left the Great Hall a little while later with chalk-white faces.

Ron had a look of disgust on his face. "Honestly," he said. "Lupin never hurt anyone when he was here! Why is everyone suddenly making a big deal of it?"

"What do you expect, Ron?" Hermione sighed. "Most people just don't understand. How many people do you think know a werewolf personally?"

They continued to bicker as they made their way with Harry up to History of Magic. If it was possible, their teacher, Professor Binns (the only ghost teacher at Hogwarts) had gotten even more boring over the summer holiday. Even Hermione seemed less disposed to taking notes.

Ignoring Professor Binns for an entire class gave Harry lots of time to think. For the first time, a worry that had been playing in the back of his mind snaked its way to the forefront: Where was Voldemort? Harry was so used to feeling Voldemort's presence through his scar, but not once this summer had his scar even prickled. Could Voldemort have found some way to block Harry from feeling when he was happy or angry? Was he planning something truly horrible?

The whispers about Tabitha and Harry's supposed brush with Voldemort the night before had sparked Harry to think about something he was trying to ignore ... he didn't want to be reminded of Voldemort if he didn't have to be. But now he was feeling so in the dark. The Order had told him nothing new. If the Ministry was now actively pursuing Voldemort and his followers, then _The Daily Prophet_ was not being told. After their blatant attack on Harry and his friends in the Ministry last year, Voldemort and his Death Eaters were laying low. That had to mean they were planning something ...

"... when Brim the Buck-toothed let an ill-tempered Ukrainian Iron-Belly loose on the Goblin Convention of ..."

Harry looked up for the first time all lesson. A Ukrainian Iron-Belly ... dragons ... what he heard about dragons?

Hagrid's hut! Though his mind was still fuzzy from the night before (he was sure he could thank Ron and Hermione and their Mobilicorpus charm for this), he was starting to remember the conversation he'd overheard at Hagrid's hut ... Hagrid, Charlie, and Tabitha were talking about dragons ... no, about _a_ dragon … they were going to bring a dragon to Hogwarts ...what had Tabitha said about Dumbledore?

Hermione jumped as Harry suddenly turned around and grabbed her arm. "Hermione!" he whispered loudly. "Who discovered the twelve uses of dragon's blood?"

Confused, she said slowly, "Dumbledore. Why—?"

_"If it wasn't Dumbledore, I would drop this plan straight away. But he's the one who made the discovery, so I won't question him."_ That's what Tabitha had said. She had to have been talking about dragon's blood!

"_Dragons_," Harry told Hermione and Ron as they left History of Magic. "_That's_ what the Order has planned. They're doing something with dragons."

"How do you know?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "Are you sure you didn't just dream this last night, Harry? We didn't get to hear anything the Order did this summer."

"Last night before I went to dinner, I went to Hagrid's to talk," Harry said. "But he said he was busy. So, I sort of ... well, I spied on him. Hagrid and Charlie and Tabitha were talking about using a dragon in class ..."

"So _that's_ why Charlie's Hagrid's assistant!" Ron cried.

"And he did tell us that he was here for Order business," Hermione pointed out excitedly. "Oh, have I got time to run up to the common room to get _One-Hundred-and-One Magical Discoveries of the Twentieth Century_? I can't remember all twelve uses of dragon's blood, but it's in there, I'm sure of it." Ron grabbed her hand before she actually tried to run to the common room.

"It can wait, can't it?" he said.

Hermione looked crestfallen. She had lost an opportunity to study. "I suppose," she sighed.

* * *

Hermione sat with Ginny at lunch. Harry and Ron were discussing how they were going to run Quidditch tryouts tomorrow night when Sloper and Kirke entered the Great Hall. Ron turned white. "I've been avoiding them since yesterday," he squeaked. "Their friend told them we were going to—"

"Potter, Weasley!" cried Jack Sloper, a solid, intimidating-looking fifth year. "We need to talk to you!"

"What is it, Jack?" Harry asked.

"Our friend Ben tells us you're planning on kicking us off the team," Andrew Kirke said angrily. He was smaller and less intimidating than his friend, but still had an intensely angry sneer on his face.

"Well, the thing is," Ron began. He looked to Harry for help.

"We're making everyone try out," Harry said quickly. "We just want to make sure that the whole team is really good ..."

Sloper narrowed his eyes. "So that means that _you_ two are trying out, too?"

"Er ... yeah, yeah we ... we are." Harry felt incredibly stupid. Ron's face was white. On form, he was an excellent Keeper (he'd won the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor last year), but much of the time he had trouble keeping the other team from scoring. He and Harry certainly wouldn't be able to keep him uncontested as Keeper if someone much better tried out for the team ...

Sloper and Kirke, however, looked satisfied. "We'll see you on the pitch then," they said, before wandering away.

"_We're_ trying ourselves out?" Ron said. "Harry ... that's about the dumbest thing ..."

"What else was I supposed to say!" Harry cried. "Where's Katie? I've got to tell her now ..." Katie Bell was sitting at the other end of the table. Harry approached her slowly. "Er, Katie?"

She looked up. "What is it, Harry?"

"Listen, I was telling Kirke and Sloper that we were going to replace them, and I kind of ... well, I accidentally told them that we were making everyone on the team try out again. So that means ..."

"You mean I have to try out for my own position?" Katie said, sounding more annoyed than angry.

"Listen, it's just to keep them quiet, all right? Ron and I wouldn't dream of kicking you off the team ..."

Katie nodded. "I guess it sounds all right. I just hope this doesn't backfire on you," she warned. Harry walked away, relieved. How could it backfire?

* * *

They had Charms that afternoon. Professor Flitwick discussed the basics of Apparition and less complicated Vanishing charms, and, thankfully, their only homework was to practice Vanishing quills. Harry tackled his Potions and Transfiguration homework, though his mind was on other things. They had Care of Magical Creatures tomorrow—they would have to ask Charlie and Hagrid about the dragon.

Harry remembered that he was supposed to meet Hagrid at eleven o'clock last night. While Ron and Hermione shared an armchair again, Harry slipped out of the common room. He may just be able to catch Hagrid alone.

Hagrid and Charlie were working in Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Harry could already see that this Halloween, Hagrid would be showing off his largest pumpkins yet.

Charlie saw Harry before Hagrid did. "Hey, Harry, feeling better?" he cried.

Harry nodded. "A bit, yeah."

Hagrid grinned at Harry. "Missed yeh last night," he said. "Thought yeh got caught by Filch, 'til Charlie told me this morning abou' wha' happened last night. Attacked, were yeh?"

"Fire-crab got loose," Harry said quickly. "We were trying to Stun it; spells went a little wild, I guess."

Hagrid nodded, if a bit uncertainly. "Yeh wanted ter talk abou' something, Harry?" He glanced at Charlie.

"I'll leave if you'd like, Harry. Actually," Charlie looked at his watch. "I've got to meet someone. See you at dinner, Hagrid. See you later, Harry." Charlie jogged towards the castle, his head a red blur in the waning sunlight.

"Come on inside, Harry, I'll make a spot o' tea," Hagrid said. His huge frame barely fit through his front door. Harry slipped inside behind him.

Fang, Hagrid's boarhound, looked up when they entered. He wagged his tail when he saw Harry.

"Now, Harry," Hagrid said as he made tea. "It was Sirius yeh wanted ter talk about?"

"Not really," Harry said.

"Not ready ter talk abou' him?" Hagrid said sympathetically. "It was a long time before I could talk abou' my dad." He set a cup of tea in front of Harry. "Wha' was it yeh wanted ter talk abou' then?"

"It's really nothing now," Harry said. "I was in a fight with Ron and Hermione, but we sort of made up."

"Couldn'ta bin much of a fight, then. Can't keep friends like you three apart, even if the two of them are a bit closer these days," Hagrid said wisely.

"You knew about them?" Harry looked surprised.

"Well, Charlie tol' me. Said they were carryin' on all summer."

Everyone noticed but me, Harry thought glumly.

"Hagrid, have—have the giants decided who they're going to side with yet?" Harry asked. He wanted to talk about Ron and Hermione about as much as he wanted to talk about Sirius, but he was intensely interested in what was happening with the Order. Last year, Hagrid had been missing for much of the first term because he was on a mission to convince the giants to side with Dumbledore. He had been close to success at first, but the Gurg (the giants' chief) was killed during a fight, and a new Gurg was appointed. This leader was not as interested in Hagrid or his partner, Madame Maxime (a half-giantess and Headmistress of Beauxbatons' Academy of Witchcraft), but he did become friendly with a Death Eater, sent by Voldemort for the same purpose that Dumbledore sent Hagrid.

Hagrid's face fell. "The giants are with You-Know-Who," he said. "Found out over the summer. But they migh' not last long. They've been killin' each other off faster than ever before. Grawpy's safe, though. He'll be on our side no matter what," Hagrid said with a grin. Harry didn't know how comforting a thought that was. Hagrid's half-brother Grawp (born of Hagrid's giantess mother and another giant) was only sixteen-feet-or-so tall, tiny for a full-blooded giant. Even if Hagrid had faith in his brother, Harry wasn't sure if Grawp would make much of a fighter.

"Look at that, Harry, it's dark out already!" Hagrid cried. "I'll bet dinner's started. Was there, er, anything else you wanted ter talk abou'?"

Harry thought fleetingly of the Hungarian Horntail he'd faced during the Triwizard Tournament in his fourth year. He decided to wait for Ron and Hermione before asking Hagrid about the dragons. But there was one thing ...

"Hagrid, Tab—er, Professor McNoira went to Hogwarts, right?"

"She sure did," Hagrid said. "Sorted inter Slytherin her first year, like the rest of her family, but she was sweeter than any Hufflepuff ye'd meet. Used ter be down here with me and Charlie all the time. He loved helpin' me look after everything down here, and Tabitha, well, bless 'er, she had nowhere else ter go. Loved my animals almost as much as me an' Charlie. She didn' have many friends while she was here, on account of ... er, never mind tha'. A bit surprisin', though, tha' she wouldn'ta had more friends. Nice girl, and a right funny one at that. She was re-Sorted in second year. Not something' ye see happen often, but it's necessary sometimes. She was put into Gryffindor."

"Re-Sorted? Why?"

"Can' tell ye that, Harry. None of my business. Ye want ter know, ye ask Tabitha. Best thing ter happen ter her, though. Don' know how she'd've turned out if she stayed in Slytherin." Could she possibly be any worse? Harry thought. "Gryffindor suited her. She was even better friends with Charlie after the switch, and I think she an' Fred and George got on well when they were firs' years. She was amazin' at Quidditch. If there'd been another like her, they'd've been a pair o' Beaters to rival Fred an' George." Hagrid grinned. "Enjoyin' her as a teacher, are yeh, Harry? I knew you two would get on well."

"Sure, Hagrid. Let's go up to dinner." They walked up to the castle together. Hagrid was talking about something—possibly Grawp's English lessons—but Harry was too focused on everything else. It would take him hours to clear his mind before bed.

* * *

I have no idea what year Sloper and Kirke are in—it's never specified in the books. So I'm making them fifth years. 


	12. Quidditch, Keepers, and Kisses

Chapter Twelve

Quidditch, Keepers, and Kisses

Since Tabitha was in the hospital wing, Harry didn't have Occlumency lessons that night. He and Ron worked on a plan for Quidditch tryouts, which they were both secretly worried about. Harry wanted the best team they could possibly have, but he wanted Ron to stay on it. If someone tried out for Keeper who could actually keep the other team from scoring ...he tried not to think about it.

He brought up Tabitha's switching houses, but Ron shrugged it off. "Sure, it's strange, Harry, but it happens sometimes. I mean, you were nearly put into Slytherin, and Hermione was nearly in Ravenclaw. Maybe the Sorting Hat made a mistake with Tabitha."

Harry sighed. He'd have to bring this up with Hermione; maybe she, like Harry, would think Tabitha's switching houses was strange.

He wanted to go to bed early, but they had Astronomy lessons at midnight. Afterwards, Harry dragged himself to bed, leaving Hermione and Ron alone in the common room. He didn't bother trying to clear his mind, but he woke up the next morning without having had any dreams or visions.

After breakfast, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked down to Care of Magical Creatures together. On the way, they talked about Tabitha.

"That _is_ weird, Harry."

"It happens, though," Ron said. "I think my dad said someone in his year switched houses."

"But it's very rare, isn't it?" Hermione said. "What would make someone switch houses?"

"Do you think she decided herself? Or do you think Snape threw her out? Can that happen?" Harry wondered. "She and Snape seem to hate each other as much as he and I do. Imagine if I'd ended up in Slytherin?"

"Harry, if you were in Slytherin, Snape wouldn't waste that power over you; he'd expel you in a second," Ron laughed.

"Maybe that's it," Hermione said. "Maybe Snape wanted to expel Tabitha for something, but Dumbledore decided to give her a second chance in another house."

"Fred and George _did _say she was a troublemaker," Ron said.

Harry nodded. "Hagrid told me she didn't have many friends. In fact, he said your brothers were her only friends, really, especially Ch—"

"Oh, look what Hagrid's got!" Hermione interrupted, pointing to a Quaffle-sized, working model of a snorting red dragon sitting in Hagrid's huge palm. They dropped their discussion of Tabitha and gathered around Hagrid with the rest of the class. Hagrid led a rather good lesson on Chinese Fireballs, complete with Harry was impressed with Hagrid's thoroughness, though it was obvious that he'd had a lot of help from Charlie Weasley.

It was unusual to get homework in Care of Magical Creatures, but all they were assigned was a seven-inch essay summing up everything they'd learned that day. "Yeh'll turn those in ter Professor Weasley on Monday," Hagrid told everyone at the end of the lesson.

"_Professor_ Weasley," Ron snorted. Charlie shot him a threatening look.

As everyone else trudged up to the castle for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hung back to ask Hagrid and Charlie about the dragons. Harry was itching to ask more about Tabitha, but he decided to wait.

"What's this?" Charlie asked. "Don't you three have class with Remus Lupin right now?"

"When is the dragon coming?" Hermione asked bluntly.

Both Charlie and Hagrid looked taken aback. "What makes you think we're bringing a dragon to class?" Charlie asked.

"Why else would Hagrid need an assistant?" Hermione said. Hagrid blushed under his bushy beard. "Besides, Harry overheard you talking about a dra—" Harry discreetly stepped on her foot. "I mean, we overheard some things at Grimmauld Place, and we're studying dragons so thoroughly ..."

Charlie looked at Hagrid before saying carefully, "I—we—can't say much right now. But you'll find out soon enough. When we're sure about what we're doing." He lowered his voice. "This is very dangerous business, do you understand? More people than you realize are risking their necks, so don't go meddling into this. Like I said, you'll find out everything soon enough."

"He could have told us more," Ron fumed as they walked up to the castle. "We're nearly of age, and look at everything we've done—well, everything Harry's done that we've helped with."

"He said we'll know soon enough," Hermione said.

Harry and Ron looked at her with surprise.

"How can you be so patient?" Harry said.

"You didn't let me finish," Hermione continued. "Charlie said we'll know soon enough, but that doesn't mean we can't investigate further."

Just as long as we don't get anyone else killed, Harry thought.

* * *

Lupin was waiting patiently outside his classroom. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were last to arrive to Defense Against the Dark Arts again. "I thought for a minute you weren't going to bother coming," he joked. He looked much better than he had over the summer. His face was a little fuller and he wasn't as pale as usual, though Harry noticed faint worry lines around his eyes. He pulled Harry aside as Ron and Hermione went to their seats, closing the door behind him so they were alone in the hallway. "Harry, I just want to tell you that what happened Tuesday night ...it wasn't your fault."

Harry nodded. "I know. It was an accident."

Lupin gave him a quick smile. "Are you doing all right?" he asked. "I know how hard it can be to lose someone you're close to. I lost your parents, remember, and I lost Sirius twice. I'll be here through the weekend if you need to talk, but any other time, you can find me at Grimmauld Place, okay? The Floo Network seems safe right now, but we can't make much of a habit of using it." Lupin squeezed Harry's shoulder sadly before opening the door to class.

He continued Tabitha's lesson on half-human creatures. It appeared that he was going to breeze over the section on werewolves, until Draco Malfoy said nastily, "Oh, Professor, I think you missed part of the chapter!"

Lupin merely looked up from his book for a brief moment. "I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, did I?"

"Yes, sir," Malfoy said, faking an innocent smile. "I'd like to learn more about werewolves."

Lupin didn't appear at all flustered. "Well, Mr. Malfoy, as werewolves are creatures that really should be studied in the second and third years, I would be holding your class back to discuss them in full right now." He smiled at Malfoy. "But if you are really so interested, you should read up on them after class, or I suggest you ask Professor Snape about them. He fancies himself an expert. Or, if you like, I can give you a private lesson one night next week. I think we're expecting the full moon next Thursday?" Everyone in class except the Slytherins chuckled. Malfoy sent Lupin a burning look.

Class ended without Lupin assigning any homework. "Don't get too used to it," he warned. "Professor McNoira plans on giving you plenty of homework when she returns."

"What kind of Defense Against the Dark Arts expert gets knocked out by a _fire-crab_?" Pansy Parkinson shrieked loudly as the Slytherins left, shooting a mean look towards Harry.

Lunch and afternoon classes passed by quickly—too quickly, Harry thought. Before he knew it, it was time for Quidditch tryouts.

He and Ron descended to the Quidditch pitch. A lot of people were already there—among them, Katie Bell, Ginny Weasley, Dennis Creevey (a third-year whose brother Colin idolized Harry), Vicky Frobisher and Geoffrey Hooper (both of whom had tried out for Keeper last year and performed better than Ron, but were rejected by former captain Angelina Johnson for several reasons), Andrew Kirke, Jack Sloper, their friend Ben Duncan, Natalie MacDonald (a third-year), several fourth-years that Harry didn't recognize, and a handful of second years. First-years were technically not allowed on House Quidditch teams. Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch had made an exception in Harry's case—in his first year, he had inadvertently proven himself an excellent Seeker while sticking up for Neville during a Flying lesson.

Harry and Ron waited several minutes, allowing a few more third-years to arrive. Madam Hooch and Professor McGonagall arrived just after them, to Harry's surprise. "We're only here in case you need help, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said stiffly.

There were twenty students there, including Ron and Harry. They separated everyone into groups based on the positions they were trying out for. Katie Bell, Ginny Weasley, Ben Duncan, Dennis Creevey, and a few second-, third-, and fourth-year girls were trying out for Chaser. Vicky Frobisher, Geoffrey Hooper, Natalie MacDonald, Ron, and a third-year were trying out for Keeper. Andrew Kirke, Jack Sloper, a second-year boy, and two fourth-years were trying out for Beater. That left Harry and, to his surprise, a small, mousy second-year girl trying for Seeker.

Ron looked at Harry with a nervous, weak grin on his face. "Ready, mate?"

Harry sighed. "I guess so. All right," he said loudly to the eager Quidditch players. "I guess we'll split into teams and play that way. Katie, Dennis, and er, you—" Harry pointed to a timid-looking third-year girl. "Chasers for Team One. Natalie, you play Keeper. Sloper, Beater." He pointed to the second-year standing by Kirke. "You, Beater. And, er," Harry looked at the second-year girl trying out for Seeker. "You can play Seeker," he said.

"Thanks!" she squeaked, skipping towards the rest of Team One.

"All right, and Team Two ..." Harry looked over at Ron.

"For, er, Team Two ...Ginny, Ben, and Kathleen—" one of the two fourth-year girls trying out for Chaser—"you play Chaser. You"—he pointed to the third-year standing by him and the other Keepers—"play Keeper. You two fourth-years, play Beater. And Harry, you'll play Seeker."

That left one second-year girl and one fourth-year girl waiting to try out for Chaser; Vicky, Geoffrey, and Ron to try out for Keeper; and Andrew Kirke trying out for Beater.

Harry looked at them, trying to think how they could try out the remaining group. "All right," he said finally. "We'll play for a short while with these two teams, then we can substitute Chasers, and we'll have to change Keepers quite a few times ..."

"I don't want to be Keeper anymore," Geoffrey Hooper whined. "I want to try for Beater this year!"

"Why didn't you bloody say something then?" Ron snapped.

"Mr. Weasley," Professor McGonagall warned.

Ron's cheeks reddened a bit. "All right, then, Hooper, stand with Kirke. We'll be a team like this; I'll play Chaser for now."

Ron kept score while the first two teams began to play. They were playing to sixty points; if Harry or Stella (the mousy second-year) caught the Snitch, the match would continue to sixty points and the Snitch would be released again.

Harry caught the Snitch three times before his team reached sixty points (fifty of those points were scored by Ginny Weasley). Katie Bell would have scored many more points, but the third-year playing Keeper on Harry's team—Francis O'Brien—was amazing. Much better than Ron—but Harry tried not to think about that. Between catching the Snitch, Harry kept a close eye on all the players. Natalie MacDonald had no chance of becoming Keeper, as she dodged the Quaffle every time it came near her (Harry did not hold this against Ginny, who was an excellent flyer and could have scored as many points with a competent Keeper). Dennis Creevey and the other third-year playing Chaser on Katie's team were not aggressive enough. They flew half-heartedly when Harry's team had the Quaffle, and on the occasions that Katie threw it to them, they immediately tried to throw it back to her (it was usually intercepted by Ginny).

Jack Sloper had gotten even worse as a Beater. He nearly knocked himself out with his own club, and he very nearly hit Katie with a Bludger several times. To Harry's surprise, the tall, gangly second-year (Danny Flanagan) playing Beater with Sloper was rather good. Stella was a lousy Seeker; she hadn't caught the Snitch once, nor did she seem too interested in it, even when it flew right by her face. She merely sat on her broomstick, staring dreamily at the clouds.

"She's Luna Lovegood's sister," Ginny told Harry quietly. "I think she just came because she wanted to meet you."

On Harry's team, only Ginny seemed to be a worthwhile Chaser. Kathleen Bennet was all right, but Ben Duncan was awful. He dropped the Quaffle every time it was thrown to him. The two fourth-years playing Beater were quite decent—both much better flyers than Kirke and Sloper, and they could hit the Bludgers with decent force.

Harry and Ron rearranged the teams. Katie, Ginny, and Kathleen were made Chasers. Danny Flanagan and Jamie Doyle (one of the fourth-years from Harry's team) were made Beaters, while Francis O'Brien played Keeper. They took a short break before taking on Ron's team.

Geoffrey Hooper was an excellent flyer—Angelina had said as much last year when he tried out for Keeper. But she was right about something else; he loved to whine. Every time he missed hitting a Bludger, he whined that the sun (which had nearly set at this point) was in his eyes. Vicky Frobisher complained every five minutes that she had a club meeting to attend before dinner, and she would be very upset if Quidditch tryouts made her miss it. Angelina had rejected her last year because she wouldn't make Quidditch a top priority. The two girls playing Chaser with Ron weren't all bad—they both scored twice; unfortunately, they put the Quaffle through the wrong hoops and scored for the other team. Ron was surprisingly good as Chaser. He was a deft flyer, and was much better handling the Quaffle here than he was when he played Keeper. Stella played Seeker for their team and continued to ignore the Snitch.

Harry's team won again. Ginny and Katie made an excellent team. Harry was very glad that he'd be able to play Quidditch with Ginny—she took over for him as Seeker last year after Umbridge banned him, so Harry never actually played with her.

Harry and Ron stood away from the Quidditch hopefuls for a few minutes. Vicky Frobisher tapped her foot impatiently a few feet away. "Danny Flanagan and Jamie Doyle are quite good," Ron said.

"Well, they're no Fred and George, but they're better than anyone else here," Harry added. "I think they're best for Beater." Ron nodded in agreement.

"And you're Seeker, no doubt about that," Ron said. "Honestly, that girl ...she reminds me of ..."

"Luna Lovegood?" Harry replied with a grin. "Ginny says it's her sister, Stella."

"That explains it," Ron muttered. "Now, for Chaser, we're keeping Katie, obviously ..."

"And Ginny," Harry said firmly. "She's even better than Angelina was."

"Definitely," Ron agreed. "I had no idea she was so good. I guess I sort of knew, after I saw her flying last year, but it was still a bit of a surprise. And I guess that Kathleen girl is all right ..."

Harry hesitated. "Er, Ron ...that third year, Francis ...he was a bloody good Keeper ..."

Ron sighed. "I know. I noticed. I—I didn't want to say anything, but I know ...I know Gryffindor's got to win the Quidditch Cup ..."

"Ron," Harry said. "I say we keep Francis. But not Kathleen."

"Then who are we going to have as a third Chaser?"

"_You_."

Ron's eyes opened wide. "Me?"

"Ron, you were great! You flew better than ever before. You, Ginny, and Katie would make the perfect Chasers together."

Ron grinned. "I do like scoring goals," he said.

"Then that's it!" Harry and Ron approached Madam Hooch and Professor McGonagall. "We've got a team," Harry said.

"Oh?" Professor McGonagall said with a slight smile.

"Katie, Ginny, Ron, Danny, Francis, Jamie—" Harry began.

"—and Harry," Ron finished.

With a look of surprise, Professor McGonagall said, "So does this mean that Mr. Weasley is now a Chaser?" Harry and Ron nodded. "Well, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley. I think I may just be keeping the Quidditch Cup in my office for another year," she said with a smile.

Harry and Ron broke the news to everyone. Vicky Frobisher looked relieved; she rushed off to her club as soon as she found out that she didn't make the team. Sloper, Kirke, and Ben Duncan looked angry. Most of the girls who didn't make it looked devastated. Harry had a feeling that he and Ron would not be popular around the common room for a while.

Danny, Francis and Jamie looked thrilled. "We'll see you at practice!" they shouted to Harry and Ron as they skipped up to dinner. Katie grinned at the co-captains. "Good choices," she said. "They'll keep the team going well after we all leave." One of her friends had met her down at the pitch, and they left for dinner as well.

Harry noticed Hermione standing on the edge of the pitch, grinning. "Did you see tryouts?" Ron called to her. "I'm Chaser now!"

"Oh, excellent, excellent," she said quickly. "Listen, I looked up the twelve uses of dragon's blood today ..."

Ron groaned. "Let's wait 'til after dinner, shall we?" he said. "I'm starving." He threw his arm around Hermione's shoulder. "Come on, Harry, let's eat!"

"Just a minute," Ginny said, grabbed Harry's hand. Ron and Hermione didn't notice that Harry wasn't with them. Harry hung back with Ginny. They were alone on the darkening pitch. "I'm really glad we're teammates this year, Harry," Ginny said quietly.

"Me, too," Harry said, his heart racing. They were standing so close ... Harry brushed a stray piece of hair from Ginny's face. "Hair's a bit messy from practice," he said stupidly. He felt his cheeks flame red.

"Yours, too," Ginny giggled. As Harry absently ran his hand through his untidy black hair, Ginny leaned forward and kissed him.

Harry looked at her in surprise. Her cheeks were bright red. "Sorry," she said quickly. "It's just ... well, I had that silly crush on you my first year, and then you were just a friend, but this summer—"

Harry came to his senses before she finished her sentence. He kissed her right back.


	13. The Defense Association

**Chapter Thirteen**

**The Defense Association**

With Ginny's lips on his, Harry began to panic. What was he doing? Ginny was Ron's little sister. He shouldn't be kissing his best friend's sister. He leaned back. Ginny looked surprised, then hurt. They looked at each other for a moment. Say something, Harry told himself. He tried to speak, but words refused to come out of his mouth.

"I'll see you later then, Harry," Ginny said in an odd voice. She ran towards the castle, leaving Harry alone—and utterly confused and upset—on the Quidditch pitch.

He tucked his Firebolt under his arm and walked up to the castle slowly. He was so supremely stupid when it came to girls. Last year, he never knew how to deal with Cho, who was always crying about something. He tried to get advice from Hermione then, but he couldn't do that now. Hermione and Ginny were best friends.

He skipped dinner, opting to go right to his dormitory for a full night's sleep. He fleetingly thought of doing homework, but his bed looked too inviting. By the time the other Gryffindors had come up from dinner, Harry was fast asleep.

* * *

The next day at breakfast, Ron asked Harry about missing dinner. "I was tired," Harry replied. He wanted to ask how Ginny had seemed at dinner, but then Ron would know ...

He looked around the table. "Where are Hermione and Ginny?" he asked.

Ron shrugged. "Dunno. Ginny seemed a little upset last night. I think she and Hermione are having a girl talk or something." Harry felt awful. Guilt settled into his stomach. He was starving but couldn't bring himself to eat. "Are you all right, Harry?" Ron asked, sounding almost like his mother. "You look a little peaky."

"I'm fine," Harry mumbled. "I've just been so tired."

Ron nodded. "Too busy," he said. "But that's how it should be, shouldn't it? I mean, you don't want to sit around thinking about—well, you know, all day long. So," he added hastily. "Hermione's found out the twelve uses of dragon's blood. She really wanted to tell us last night, but she said she's wait until tonight—"

"I've got an Occlumency lesson tonight," Harry said, a bit too sharply. "Just like I'll have every night this term." They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence.

Harry was not looking forward to his Occlumency lesson with Dumbledore, but it was uneventful. Dumbledore said nothing more of Tabitha's injury. He told Harry they would move past Stunning spells and start blocking on Monday evening. Harry trudged up to his dormitory and slept off his first week.

The weekend passed quickly. Hermione didn't mention the dragons' blood to Harry—in fact, Hermione didn't seem to be saying much to Harry. Ginny had definitely told her about the kiss and Harry's reaction to it; he had hoped they wouldn't tell Ron, and they didn't, but they also didn't see much of him that weekend. The girls disappeared each day after breakfast, and Harry and Ron wouldn't see them again until dinner. Harry thought it was rather nice to be spending so much free time alone with Ron.

Unfortunately, Monday brought classes, including Defense Against the Dark Arts with a fully-recovered Tabitha. Lupin had left Friday evening, after classes ended. He stopped by the Gryffindor common room to say goodbye to Harry and assure him again that Tabitha harbored no ill feelings about the Stunning incident. Of course, he said nothing of the ill feelings that she already felt towards Harry.

Tabitha looked very well on Monday, better, in fact, than Harry had ever seen her. She greeted everyone warmly, flashing Ron a brilliant smile as he entered (which caused even him to blush a bit). She leaned down and whispered something to Hermione, who giggled and joined Ron in the back of the room. But as Harry walked past, her lips tightened into a stiff, cold smile. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly as she said, "Good morning, Mr. Potter." She greeted the Slytherins the same way. Harry wondered how she got on with the Slytherins when she was one of them.

They were moving past part-human creatures—"You just needed a simple review. They're really far below the level you should be at by now, and we can't afford to waste more time." Tabitha asked them to put their books away and take out their wands. "I know I said we'd be studying graphorns," she said. "But I've decided to hold off on those for several weeks. Before we begin studying defense against dark creatures, I'd like to teach some basic wand-to-wand combat. Dueling, you might call it. There are some spells that can come in very handy when fighting dark wizards." There was a slight murmur as former members of the DA recalled the spells Harry had taught them last year. Tabitha looked around disapprovingly, and the murmurs stopped. "Now," she continued. "Stunning spells can work amazingly well against an opponent. As you all probably know, my stay in the hospital wing the past few days was the result of a wayward Stunning spell." She cast a quick glance at Harry. "Whether you succeed in merely knocking the wind out of your opponent, or giving them one hell of a concussion, you have the advantage. You all should know how to do Stunning spells by now; let's see just how good you are at them."

She began pairing them off. Malfoy was paired with Pansy Parkinson. Harry could see them leaning towards each other, whispering—it looked as if Malfoy was unwrapping a piece of candy. A moment later, he turned to Tabitha, completely green, and trembled, "P-professor, I—I don't feel very well ..." And then he fainted.

Rather than look concerned, Pansy Parkinson said almost joyfully, "I suppose I should bring him to Madam Pomfrey, Professor!"

"That won't be necessary, Miss Parkinson," Tabitha replied, sounding very annoyed. She rummaged through her desk for a moment. She extracted a small piece of candy and unwrapped it. After breaking it in half, she forced one half into Malfoy's mouth. He awoke a moment later, grinning. When he saw that it was Tabitha and not Pansy who had revived him, his grin disappeared. "Sixty points," Tabitha said sharply. "For attempting to skive off a lesson. Next time you try that, Malfoy, I'll get twice as many points, and you'll receive a week's worth of detentions. Miss Parkinson, thirty points for helping him. And I'll take the rest of your Skiving Snackboxes." She flicked her wand, and a bag from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes flew out of Pansy's robes.

"Weasley's brothers' shop?" Harry heard Malfoy hiss to Pansy. "You told me they were prototypes from Zonko's!" Harry smiled to himself. As long as Tabitha wasn't being nasty to him, she was quite impressive. She probably had a whole stash of various Skiving Snackboxes—and other Weasley inventions—hidden in her desk.

Tabitha vanished all the desks from the room before they began practicing. Hermione had paired with Susan Bones so Harry and Ron could practice together.

They had to read for homework and write fifteen inches on a defensive spell of their choice. Harry could see that his homework would soon be piling up, but he just didn't feel much like working on it. He decided to leave it for another night; he could sense Hermione giving him a disapproving glare, but he wasn't sure if it was because of his homework or what he'd done to Ginny or both.

As he pretended to scribble down some notes, he glanced over his parchment to see what Hermione and Ron were working on. Ron was making a half-hearted attempt at Tabitha's essay, but Hermione appeared to be already done with hers. In fact, she wasn't working on any homework.

Ron looked down at what she was writing and groaned. "Not spew!" he sighed. He gave Harry a knowing look. "Look, Hermione, you've got to give this up ..."

"S.P.E.W. happens to be very important, Ron," she said briskly. "I'm drafting my official purpose to send to the Ministry of Magic. House elves are very powerful, you know. They would be a great ally against Voldemort, if only wizards could learn to treat them as equals ..." Harry and Ron let her ramble on uninterrupted but didn't bother to pay her any attention. Hermione had started S.P.E.W. two years ago in an effort to help house elves gain freedom and get payment for their work—something house elves were strongly against. They were content to work hard simply for the masters' satisfaction. Only the Malfoys' former house elf Dobby (who Harry had helped to free) seemed interested in getting paid. He worked in the kitchens at Hogwarts now.

Harry nudged Ron. "Has she said why she's mad at me?" he whispered.

Ron gave him a blank look. "She's mad at you?"

"She's been ignoring me all weekend!"

Ron shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe you're just imagining things, mate."

Yeah, Harry thought as Ginny entered the common room and glared at him. Sure, I'm just imagining it.

* * *

The next couple of weeks went by quickly. Signs soon appeared announcing the first Hogsmeade weekend. It was the to be held the weekend before Halloween. Harry was very much looking forward to it; his homework was piling up, and Quidditch practices and Occlumency lessons were only taking up more of his time.

Harry wanted to make up with Ginny, perhaps go on a proper date with her. He knew he should ask her to spend the day with him in Hogsmeade, but he was still worried about what Ron would think. Still, Harry couldn't take this anymore. Since he'd mentioned something, Ron was noticing how coldly Hermione and Ginny were acting towards Harry. Even Tabitha seemed to be getting nastier, and Snape was always unpleasant. Harry dreaded their classes.

One night several weeks before Halloween, Harry found himself unable to sleep. Ron was snoring softly in the bed next to him; Neville was tossing around in his sleep. A noise from outside that sounded very much like a dog barking reached Harry's ears, and he was suddenly overwhelmed by thoughts of Sirius. He lay in bed as these thoughts clouded his mind, feeling more and more empty every second.

He couldn't just lie here and let himself drown in his thoughts. Without so much as a second thought, Harry crept out of bed and rummaged in his trunk for his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. Harry had received the map from the Weasley twins in his third year; it appeared to be an ordinary piece of old parchment until one tapped it with a wand and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Until this summer, the twins had never told Harry how exactly they learned to use the map; now he knew that it was Tabitha who showed them.

The Fat Lady yawned as an invisible Harry climbed out of the portrait hole. "That's not a good idea, whoever you are," she murmured sleepily. Harry glanced at the map. Only one little dot, labeled "Harry Potter" appeared on the map.

He considered stopping by the kitchens to see Dobby, then decided against it. He realized then that he had left his bed with a purpose—to talk to Phineas Nigellus.

He couldn't go into Dumbledore's office; no, he'd have to go back to that sixth-floor corridor and send the doe to get Phineas. He glanced at the map every once in a while to make sure no one appeared. Not even Filch or his cat, Mrs. Norris, crossed Harry's path.

The doe was asleep in a patch of brilliant orange and red flowers. Harry wasn't sure how to wake it. "Er, hello?" he said softly, poking the canvas and shrugging off his cloak. The doe stirred. It looked at him with large, dark eyes. "I need Phineas Nigellus. Could you, er, go get him at his portrait in Dumbledore's office?"

The doe appeared to be giving him a stern look, but it trotted off nonetheless. Harry waited for what seemed like forever. He continued to glance at the parchment, but no one was approaching him. Finally, he heard the doe and Phineas tramping through the other paintings.

Phineas glared at Harry. "You?" he said gruffly. "What do _you_ want?"

"I—I just wanted to talk," Harry replied. It sounded much stupider than he had intended.

"Talk? Haven't you got friends?" Phineas continued to glare at him.

"They don't understand," Harry sighed. "You, er, well, you lost Sirius, too, and you seemed rather upset ..."

"Upset?" Phineas said, much too loudly. Harry glanced at his map anxiously. "He was the last of my family to carry the name of Black! What male heirs have we got now to pass on the name, eh? None!"

"Well, you're also upset that he's dead, aren't you? I mean, last year when Dumbledore told you, and then that day that you asked me how ..."

"He was my only company in that house," Phineas replied sadly. Harry was surprised by his change in tone. Phineas stroked the doe's head absently. "He may have been a good-for-nothing as far as the Blacks were concerned, but he was my only worthwhile companion. Oh, there are the other Headmasters in Dumbledore's office," he said flippantly. "But they're none too fond of me and I'd just as rather not bother with them. And then the portraits of my family at Grimmauld Place are just the most unpleasant people to have to live with. I was grateful when Sirius came back and threw them all out. He kept me company. We argued, but I very much admired him. No one in our family's ever been as noble as he was, even if I didn't always agree with the company he kept or the choices he made." Phineas shook his head and said, almost to himself, "Poor, poor choices. Never even considered other people ..."

"What other people?" Harry said. "D'you mean my parents? You mean he should have stayed on as their secret-keeper?"

"No, no giving up that responsibility was the smartest thing Sirius ever did," Phineas said impatiently. "He was looking out for them, you see."

"He was looking out for my mum and dad?"

Phineas looked mildly surprised. "No, not _them_. He was worried, of course, but he thought that that Peter Pettigrew was a trustworthy fellow ... oh, what Dumbledore's told me about him ... but no, Potter, didn't Sirius tell you?"

A hand suddenly dropped heavily on Harry's shoulder. He turned around and saw Tabitha standing there in an elegant nightdress and hastily-tied robe, her dark eyes blazing angrily. Oh, if the boys in Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts could be in his position now ... but Harry was terrified. What kind of punishment would she dream up for him? "Out a little late, aren't we, Mr. Potter?" she said crisply. He tried to hide his map and his cloak, but she was too quick. "_Accio_, parchment! _Accio_, cloak!" They flew into her hand.

She held the cloak out for a moment, studying it. Harry thought he saw her expression soften for a moment. After examining the way the shimmery, silvery fabric flowed like water, she handed the cloak back to Harry. "You'll need that to get back to the common room unnoticed," she said tersely. "Now this—" She looked down at the map for the first time and saw that it wasn't just a piece of parchment, but the Marauder's Map, the very one she had taught Fred and George Weasley how to use. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise. She clutched the map firmly in her hand. "I will be confiscating this. Now, go on, get back to your dormitory." Harry stared at her, open-mouthed. No detention? No points being taken away? And she was giving him back his cloak? "Is there a problem, Mr. Potter?" she snapped. Harry shook his head. "Good. Now, go back to your dormitory and Headmaster Nigellus, back to your portrait."

"I was just chatting with the boy, Tabitha," Phineas said indignantly. "Do you know that Sirius never told him—" To Harry's surprise, as he slipped away, he heard Tabitha snap at Phineas, "Shut up about that! Go to your portrait in my office so _we_ can talk."

Harry sprinted to Gryffindor tower. He wanted to get back to his dormitory as soon as possible, now that he didn't have his map. What could Tabitha possibly want with it? If anything, the cloak would have been a better thing to confiscate—as a teacher, she didn't need the map to sneak around. Unless—could she be spying on someone at Hogwarts? The idea intrigued Harry. Were there Death Eaters at Hogwarts that she could be spying on? She mistrusted Snape ... perhaps she was going beyond her Order duties to make sure he was really working for Dumbledore now, and not for Voldemort.

As Harry climbed into the common room, his thoughts turned to what Phineas Nigellus had told him. Sirius was protecting someone when he gave up his job as secret-keeper for the Potters, and it wasn't himself or the Potters. Harry knew who he had to ask—Lupin. He wasn't sure if Lupin would give him a straight answer, but it was worth trying.

He scrawled off a quick note on a half-piece of parchment, asking Lupin to meet him in the fire in Gryffindor common room at midnight in one week. Harry took a chance and ventured out to the owlery, where he found Hedwig and gave her the note. He nearly bumped into Filch on his way back to his dormitory; luckily, Peeves the poltergeist began throwing things around just ahead of Harry, so Filch rushed towards the noise. Harry managed to get back to the common room unscathed. The next morning at breakfast, Hedwig dropped a piece of parchment into Harry's pumpkin juice. All it said, in Lupin's handwriting, was "O.K."

There was Quidditch practice that night after Harry's Occlumency lesson. He arrived at Tabitha's room with the same feeling of dread he felt every night at this time. He was getting good at blocking Legilimency, but was unable to fully turn the spell around onto Tabitha or Dumbledore. But rather than vanish the desks when Harry entered, Tabitha said quietly, "Mr. Potter, would you come sit at my desk, please?"

Harry pulled a chair up to her desk. He sat facing her, her dark hair falling gracefully into her face and down her back. As she glanced up at him, he was struck again by the familiarity of those eyes ... he was sure it was hidden somewhere in his mind; somewhere, he knew he had the answer ...

Tabitha cleared her throat. "Your year turned out more Os in the Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. than the past three years combined. Dumbledore informed me that this was due in part to a certain illegal organization that you and your friends ran. I've asked Hermione Granger for more information, and, despite some recent tensions with you—" Harry's ears burned red. _That's_ where Hermione and Ginny were disappearing to on weekends—Tabitha's office. They must have told her all about what Harry did to Ginny. Tabitha continued, "Despite these tensions, Hermione admitted that you were very skilled and quite a good teacher. So, Dumbledore and I have decided it would be in many of the students' best interests to continue with this organization. However, it's to stay a secret, do you understand? You're to give me a list of former members, and I will invite them to the new meetings. We cannot allow any Slytherins to come across us, in case they want to join."

Harry looked at her, surprised. "Join? Wouldn't they just try to get it shut down?"

"Honestly, Remus told me you were smart," Tabitha snapped. "Malfoy would try to join, to see what spells the enemy is learning. Do you really want Death Eaters learning the spells that you'll be using against them?"

"But Death Eaters would know all those kinds of spells," Harry said. "They finished Hogwarts ages ago ..."

"You really are thick," Tabitha replied. "Most of the Death Eaters know these spells, but the younger ones don't. Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle—their fathers are more interested in teaching them Dark magic right now. They won't be learning what we will be."

"Malfoy and his mates are Death Eaters?"

"Voldemort will take anyone who's willing into his service," Tabitha said grimly. "Even sixth-year Hogwarts' students. Now, the point of me telling you all this is simple. You will be teaching, with my help. Your classmates trust you. I will teach you advanced spells and you will pass them on to your fellow students."

More work with Tabitha. At least it would be something Harry enjoyed.

"We can't begin until after this term, though," Tabitha said. "You still need to work on Occlumency, and I am very busy preparing for upcoming … well, never mind that. As soon as this term is over, assuming you make some great progress, we'll cut down your Occlumency lessons and practice defense, instead. I'm not keen on spending much more time with you, but until then, you'll be spending another hour with me on Wednesday evenings. You have a lot to learn."

"Splendid," Harry said, not bothering to hide the disdain in his voice.

"Let's get started."

Tabitha vanished all the desks in the room. She was brutal; she got into some of Harry's worst memories, but as hard as he tried to push her out, he couldn't do it. His Stunning spells barely affected her.

After what felt much longer than half an hour, Tabitha told him he was free to go, but he stopped on his way out the door. "Professor?" he said tentatively. He would never be brave enough to take this chance again. "I—well, you said you weren't took keen on spending time with me. I know you don't really like me all that much. You sort of treat me like Snape does, like you treat the Slytherins. Dumbledore says you have a reason for why you don't like me ..."

"I don't _not_ like you, Potter," she interrupted. Then she added flatly, "I hate you."

She delivered these words so coolly that Harry wasn't even sure that that's what she'd said. But she was fixing him with that stare, her familiar eyes full of loathing.

"I have a reason," she added in a shaking voice. "But this is neither the time nor the place to tell you. Goodnight." Harry tried to reply, but she waved at the door, and it slammed shut in his face. He stood there for a moment, disbelieving. He pressed his face against the doorknob, peering into the keyhole. Tabitha was sitting at her desk, her head in her hands, shaking. An old piece of parchment—the Marauder's Map—was clutched in one of her hands. Harry just didn't understand her.

And with a stab of guilt, Harry remembered seeing Hermione like this not too long ago. He didn't care what Tabitha could possibly be sobbing about, but he did care about Hermione, and Ginny. He took a deep breath. He had to apologize.


	14. Tabitha's Secrets

Chapter Fourteen

Tabitha's Secrets

Ginny was already down at the Quidditch pitch with Katie Bell and Ron. As the other two greeted Harry warmly, she busied herself with adjusting her robes. "Er, Ginny?" Harry said. "Could we talk for a minute?"

Ron gave him a funny look, but Harry shook his head. "I'll explain later," he said, walking towards the other end of the pitch with Ginny.

They walked silently, side-by-side for several minutes before Harry said, "I'm sorry. Really, really sorry."

"I liked you, Harry," Ginny said angrily. "And I thought you liked me, but ... but you just pushed me away after you kissed me!"

"I know. I feel horrible," he replied, looking down at his feet. "I was thinking of what Ron would say ..."

"Why should you care? We like each other. Even if he did mind, what business is it of his? I mean, you're all right with his dating Hermione!" Harry continued looking at the ground. Ginny sighed. "Well, you _are_ a brainless git when it comes to girls, I'll give you that," she said. "If you knew anything, you'd have kissed me just now while I was rambling, like you did last time."

Harry gave her a confused looked. "What?"

She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I should still be mad at you."

"You mean you're not?"

"Well, that depends. Do you still care whether my brother approves of who you like? Or are you going to ask me to Hogsmeade with you?"

"You would still go with me?"

"Are you asking me to?"

"Er, will you go with me to Hogsmeade, Ginny?"

She kissed his cheek. "You've got loads to learn. Come on, let's practice. Everyone's here now."

Harry stood there, gaping, as she walked back across the pitch. Had he just been forgiven, simple as that? He didn't understand women any more than he did last year—in fact, between Ginny and Tabitha, he was as lost as if he were studying Ancient Runes.

Ginny ran off after practice to find Hermione, no doubt to tell her that Harry had apologized. That left Harry and Ron alone on the pitch, putting away the practice balls and locking up the school brooms. Harry wasn't exactly sure how to broach the subject of him and Ginny, but he had to tell Ron now. "Er, Ron, I guess you and Hermione are making the trip to Hogsmeade a proper date?"

Ron shrugged. "I guess. I think Hermione'd like that. But that would leave you. I think we're best just going as the three of us."

"Well, I, er, sort of have a ... a date."

"Brilliant! Who is it? Not Cho, you're done with her ... is it Parvati? Or Lavender? Is she a Gryffindor?"

Harry nodded. "She's a Gryffindor ... she's, er, had a crush on me for a while, and I've only just started liking her like that ... and, well, honestly, we kissed a few weeks ago after Quidditch tryouts, but I acted stupidly and then she and her friends were mad at me, but now we've made up and we're going into Hogsmeade together ..." He was well aware that he was rambling, but he couldn't stop.

"You don't mean Ginny, do you, Harry?" Ron said in surprise. Harry, expecting an outburst of rage, instead got a thrilled cuff on the arm when he nodded. "Harry, you stupid git, why didn't you tell me this ages ago?"

"You mean, you _want_ me to go out with Ginny?"

"Honestly, mate! I was trying to let you know all last year. You're loads better than any of her other boyfriends." Ron shook his head, laughing. "Ginny! Mum'll be so pleased. She loves you, Harry, and she'd just go bonkers if she knew that you and Ginny were a couple. Dead brilliant, mate."

Harry sighed in relief. "Good, I was so wor—"

He and Ron stopped as voices approached. A woman and a man were talking to each other breathlessly, sounding very much like a couple looking for some privacy. Ron and Harry exchanged mischievous looks and darted behind the Quidditch storage shed. They listened quietly as the couple approached.

They opened up the storage shed, and Harry and Ron shrank against the wall as if the people were going to search for eavesdroppers. The door of the shed slammed shut, and the boys peered around to see what was going on.

Tabitha McNoira and Charlie Weasley were bathed in moonlight in the middle of the pitch, each mounted on shining brooms. Charlie was opening the box containing the Quidditch balls; he removed a Quaffle and said, "Goal-scoring tonight?"

To Harry and Ron's surprise, Tabitha leaned over and kissed Charlie lightly on the lips. "How about the Snitch? For old-times' sake."

Charlie grinned, and removed a Bludger, a small club, and the small, round, wriggling Snitch from the box. Tabitha tapped the Bludger with her wand and muttered something. "Watch out," she said. "That's going to fly right at you."

She shrieked as Charlie dove towards her on his broom, knocking them both to the ground. Tabitha giggled madly, clutching the Bludger so it wouldn't go flying at their faces. Charlie helped her up, kissed her, and then they released the two balls into the air.

"I thought she was married to Lupin!" Ron said, looking sick.

"Well, apparently she fancies Charlie," Harry replied.

"Ugh, what does Charlie see in her? She may be pretty, but she's as mean as Snape! Meaner, even."

"She's hiding something," Harry whispered. "Whenever I look at her, I know she is. She told me tonight that she hates me."

Ron looked at him, shocked. "She _told_ you that she hates you? Just like that?"

Harry nodded. "Her exact words were, 'I hate you.' But then I left and I looked through the keyhole and she was crying! I dunno what to make of her, Ron."

"She's a bloody troll, that's what she is. I'll be da—whoa!"

The Bludger hurtled itself right at Charlie, who was flying fast after the Snitch. Tabitha appeared out of nowhere, whipping through the air faster than Harry had every seen anyone fly. Charlie heard the Bludger behind him and made a sharp turn. In a move that defied everything Harry knew about flying, Tabitha swooped quickly underneath Charlie (who'd nearly flown right into her when he turned), ducked the approaching Bludger and immediately turned herself around and flew at the ball, slamming the club towards the Bludger with Herculean force. The club broke in half and the Bludger, dented, fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Ron and Harry watched with their mouths hanging open. Bludgers were extremely durable magical objects; the Slytherin Quidditch team's Beaters were always large, strong-looking older boys who couldn't fly well but could certainly knock someone out with a well-aimed swing. But never, _never_, had either Harry or Ron seen someone (a woman especially) who could render a Bludger unusable. Yet Tabitha had done that with one swing.

She and Charlie descended on their brooms, the Snitch forgotten. Tabitha was clutching her right arm and rolling her shoulder socket. "You must have done some damage with that one!" Charlie whistled. "I've never seen you pull a move like that!"

Tabitha smiled and kissed him. "I save my best for you. Besides, you'd have been toast if that hit you." She winced. "But I did hurt my shoulder."

Charlie brushed her long hair off her shoulder. "Well, then I have a job to do," he grinned, rubbing her shoulder tenderly.

Ron looked disgusted. "Let's get out of here," he said. "I can't take much more." As they walked up to the castle, he said, "And I thought Bill and Fleur were bad during her English lessons. 'One more try, and then you'll have to pay me with a kissy-poo!' Fred, George, and I just about puked whenever she came to the Burrow. I'm glad she wasn't allowed at Grimmauld Place. I'd've killed myself long before you got there." He shook his head. "_Tabitha_? Honestly, Harry, there must be something wrong with Charlie."

But Harry wasn't listening to Ron. He was thinking. He knew he heard clearly that night in Grimmauld Place. Lupin and Tabitha were married, he was sure of it. Was Tabitha possibly entertaining a romance with Charlie behind Lupin's back? Harry didn't want to think so ... she hated him, but otherwise, she seemed like a good person. Unless that was all fake.

The map. She took the Marauder's Map for a reason ... Harry had thought to spy on Snape, but what if she was spying on other people? Like Dumbledore, or Harry. She must be getting close to Charlie and Lupin for information, Harry thought. She lied to me about Malfoy being a Death Eater to throw me off ... but it's her. Tabitha had to be working for Voldemort. Harry shuddered to think of how much she must already know, from the meetings, from Lupin, from Charlie, from Dumbledore, from Harry himself.

They had reached the common room. Ron gave the Fat Lady the password, and they climbed through the portrait hole. Hermione and Ginny were waiting for them.

Hermione gave Harry a half-smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but Harry held up his hand. "It's over, all right, Hermione? Let's just forget everything from this year. I've been a jerk and I know it."

She smiled. "Well, I'm glad you know it," she said in her characteristically bossy voice. "Now, this has been killing me. I found out about the dragons' blood ..."

"Not yet!" Ron interrupted. He looked around the busy common room, then motioned for everyone to sit in a small, quiet corner.

"I know you two have been seeing Tabitha on the weekends," Harry said to the girls. They exchanged guilty looks.

"We know you don't like her, Harry," Ginny said. "But, honestly, we don't know why ... she always says good things about you."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, that's funny, as she just told me before Quidditch practice that she hates me!"

Hermione shook her head. "You misheard her, Harry, you must have. She always says how intelligent you are. She says Lupin and Dumbledore have told her that, and then she looked at your O.W.L. scores, and for the past few weekends she was going on about you teaching the D.A. again because you did so well last year. And Dumbledore's told her everything about what you've done the past few years, and of course we filled her in on some things, and she thinks you're just the bravest—"

Harry felt the blood drain from his face. "You _told _her about all that?" he hissed. "Hermione, she was only saying those things about me because she wanted you to give her information! You snapped at us for telling Phineas Nigellus how Sirius died, and then you go an tell Tabitha all that!"

"Harry, she's a teacher, and a member of the Order ..."

"And a spy for Voldemort," Harry added. Ron looked at him in surprise.

"How do you figure that, mate?" Ron said.

"I realized it on our way up here," Harry replied. He looked at the girls. "After we saw Tabitha and _Charlie_ down at the Quidditch pitch. Alone. Together." Hermione and Ginny didn't look very surprised. In fact, they looked guilty again.

"Don't tell us that you knew!" Ron shouted. Everyone in the common room turned to look at them. Ron ducked his head in embarrassment.

"We visit Tabitha at her flat," Ginny said. "Well, the flat she shares with Charlie, up on the sixth floor. She tried to keep it from us, but Charlie came in one day while we were there ..."

"I told you she and Lupin weren't married," Hermione said pointedly.

"Or they are and she's just using Charlie, or both of them," Harry replied. "Tabitha is just getting close to all of you for information. She's going to turn on you just like Wormtail did to my parents! We have to tell Dumbledore."

"Harry, don't go jumping to conclusions," Hermione said. "Let's wait for a bit and see if we can find out more about Tabitha. I just don't think she's a bad person ..."

Harry sighed. "You just don't want to believe that she is because she's been so nice to you. But we don't know anything about her. Unless you two ...?"

Hermione and Ginny shook their heads. "Not much," they said. "She was raised by her grandparents in Ireland. She lived in America for a few years, but that's it," Hermione added. "That's all she told us. I even asked her about when she went to Hogwarts and switching houses, but she changed the subject. And it was by accident that we found out about Charlie. That's all."

A wave of exhaustion crashed over Harry. "I've got to get to bed," he yawned. "But tomorrow, you two had better start finding things out from Tabitha."

* * *

Harry met with Lupin as scheduled the following week. Ron and Hermione had helped clear the common room so Harry would have some privacy when Lupin (or at least, his head) arrived in the fire. Harry had so much to ask, but he wanted to keep their meeting brief, in case the Floo network was still being monitored. "Professor Lupin," he said. "Who was Sirius protecting when he gave up his position as Secret Keeper for my parents?"

"You and your parents, of course," Lupin said. "We all knew Voldemort would go right for him—"

"I know he was protecting someone else," Harry interrupted.

Lupin stared at Harry for a moment. Finally, he shook his head. "Harry—I can't tell you. It's not my place."

"Well, is it your place to tell me what's going on with you and Tabitha?"

"What do you mean?"

"That night I overheard you talking about Snape, I also heard something about a wedding, how you two were glad you didn't wait. Are you married to her?"

To Harry's surprise, Lupin laughed. "Oh, Harry, no! You misunderstood us. We're not married."

"Then what—"

"It's not my place."

Harry sighed loudly. "Well, can you tell me just whose place is it to tell me anything that's going on these days?"

"You dislike Tabitha very much, don't you?"

"Of course I do. She hates me."

"I hate to tell you this then, Harry … but she knows so much that you should know. You need to ask her all this."

"But Professor—"

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you more, Harry. I have to go. Please, reconcile matters with Tabitha, will you? We're all on the same side here!"

Lupin's head disappeared from the fire with a 'pop." We're not on the same side, though, Harry thought. Tabitha is a spy for Voldemort.

The weeks leading up to Halloween gave no new information about Tabitha. He needed to unmask her, to show Dumbledore and everyone in the Order that she had been deceiving them all.

The Hogsmeade weekend finally arrived. Harry was nervous about having a proper date with Ginny. His trip to Hogsmeade with Cho Chang had been disastrous last year, but he assured himself that Ginny was different. He knew how to talk to her.

Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione strolled through the all-wizarding town without a purpose. They would make their last stop the Three Broomsticks, where they would fill themselves with hot butterbeer. They stopped in a Quidditch supply shop, and Ron salivated over the brand-new display of Chudley Cannons merchandise. Harry secretly bought Ron a violently orange-tinged broomstick-polishing kit to give to him at Christmas.

As they left the shop, they noticed that every Hogwarts student in the street seemed to be heading in the same direction, towards Zonko's Joke Shop. "Maybe they're giving stuff away," Ron said hopefully.

But when they arrived at the shop, they saw that the crowd had been attracted by a very large display of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products. A huge sign proclaimed, "Zonko's: Proud to Be the Only Hogsmeade Establishment to Carry Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!"

"Well," Hermione said approvingly. "They certainly know how to market themselves."

At some point in the madness at Zonko's, Harry had found Ginny's hand and held it firmly as they walked towards the Three Broomsticks. Ginny didn't say anything, but he saw a smile creep onto her face.

They sat in a back booth with their steaming mugs of butterbeer and watched as students and teachers from Hogwarts filtered in and out. Charlie and Hagrid came in and waved at Harry's group, but sat alone, their heads bent together as they no doubt discussed dragons or something equally as secretive. Tabitha entered a few minutes later, by herself. Harry watched as Charlie looked up and smiled discreetly at Tabitha. She sent him a coy smile back, but took her drink and sat by herself, poring over a thick stack of parchment.

"I'd like to know what exactly she's up to," Harry growled softly.

* * *

He was eating breakfast several mornings later (on Halloween) when the mail came. A large owl dropped _The Daily Prophet_ next to Hermione's plate. "When did you start getting that again?" Ron asked.

"Well, they may only print rubbish most of the time, but sometimes their rubbish can give us some insight as to what's going on," Hermione said, her nose stuck in the pages. A few minutes later, she sighed and set the paper down. "Except for today. There are just more articles about how the Ministry is actively pursuing Voldemort and the Death Eaters are still in Azkaban, for now at least."

"Anything more about Sirius being cleared?" Harry said hopefully. Hermione shook her head. "It'll take loads more time for that to happen," she replied.

Harry finished eating and picked up the paper, browsing through it casually. He was turning the page and sipping pumpkin juice at the same time, and what he saw made him spit the juice out all over the paper.

"What is it?" Hermione exclaimed. "Did I miss something?" She grabbed for the paper frantically, but Harry held onto it firmly. He had to be mistaken. But there _was_ no mistaking it ...the eyes, the hair, her hatred for Harry, even the possibility that she was working for Voldemort—this explained it all.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny looked at Harry expectantly. After several minutes, he lowered the paper and said in a hollow voice, "She's a Lestrange."

"Who?" they demanded.

"_Tabitha_."

Hermione grabbed for the paper. There were the pictures of the imprisoned Death Eaters—Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange among them. Had Harry had a photograph of Tabitha McNoira, he could place it beside Bellatrix Lestrange and no one would say that the two were not related. The glossy black hair and the dark, penetrating eyes were the same, though Bellatrix was more heavy-lidded. They had the same smooth, white skin. Harry had seen Bellatrix in person last spring and he knew she was of similar build to Tabitha and was certainly old enough to be her mother. It would explain why Tabitha was raised by her grandparents, why she hated Harry. Her parents weren't dead, but they'd certainly been lost to her. Harry's defeat of Voldemort when he was just a baby, an infant wizard who had no idea he was to be a legend, had led to the arrests of many Death Eaters. Without Voldemort in power, they either lied their way of Azkaban, or faced it gleefully like the Lestranges did (it was torturing Neville Longbottom's parents that earned them their sentence of life imprisonment).

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny didn't know how to respond. The picture of Bellatrix Lestrange was the damning evidence. Tabitha far too much resembled her; it explained too much of what Harry had speculated. He wanted to run right to Dumbledore, but Hermione stopped him.

"No, Harry," she said. "Dumbledore knows who her parents are. He's not going to think she's a spy just because you think she is. For now, we just have to sit tight until we know more. Ginny and I haven't found out anything, and besides—"

"You're still fond of her," Harry said. Ginny and Hermione turned pink, but didn't answer. Harry snorted. "Some friends."

Ron was about to say something, but the girls stopped him. "Let him cool off," Ginny whispered. Harry put his head in his hands for the rest of breakfast, thinking of Tabitha and her awful, murderous parents … her mother, who killed Sirius. Harry wasn't sure if he _could_ sit tight for much longer.

Soon, they went off to their first lessons, rage bubbling furiously inside Harry.


	15. Accidental Legilimency Again

****

Chapter Fifteen

Accidental Legitimacy … Again

Harry couldn't even look at Charlie Weasley during his Care of Magical Creatures lesson—how could Charlie fall victim to Tabitha's lies? Would he feel guilty when he found out who she really was? But Charlie and Hagrid carried on a very interesting lesson about Swedish Short-Snouts, with Charlie giving no indication that he felt he was being deceived by anyone.

Harry arrived at Defense Against the Dark Arts later that morning with a desire to send Tabitha flying across the room again, straight into her desk. She looked a little peaky today, but then she had been on Monday, as well. It would be even easier to catch her off-guard ...

But Harry kept to himself. Their planned practical lesson was to be postponed, Tabitha told them, her skin pasty, her eyes bloodshot. She must have seen her parents' pathetic faces in _The Daily Prophet_ today, Harry thought bitterly. They were to read directly from the book.

Her room was hot and stuffy, odd considering the crisp, cold air outside. Despite his best intentions to glare at Tabitha all class, Harry felt himself drifting to sleep. He tried to keep himself awake, but Tabitha was sick. She wouldn't notice if Harry just rested his eyes for a moment ...

Because of his rigorous Occlumency practice, he hadn't dreamt in nearly a month. Yet he was at his parents' wedding again. In fact, it was the same dream he'd had that night at Grimmauld Place. He yelled when the little girl conjured up the Dark Mark that swallowed her mother and Sirius and Harry's parents, but this time no one woke him—he could hear her speak ...

"You killed my parents." She did not sound like a little girl. She threw the wand down. It landed at his feet. Horrified, Harry saw that it was _his_ wand ... his wand had killed them ...

"I didn't kill them!" he screamed. "You did! You killed _my_ parents! You killed Sirius! You killed them! You killed them!"

He suddenly found himself very much awake, struggling out of Tabitha's firm grasp. He opened his eyes and found himself face-to-face with her, still screaming, "You killed my parents!" Then he was slammed with an onslaught of images ...

The little girl—the one from his dreams, with the dark hair and the dark, piercing eyes—was giggling as a man with sleek, stylishly messy black hair tickled her ... it was Sirius, tickling Tabitha, buying her ice cream, bringing her to the home of their cousin, a little girl who could change her appearance at will ... and there was a terrified Tabitha, clutched in Sirius' arms as they approached a large, beautiful house with a ghastly green skull suspended over it. Harry could feel Sirius' anger swell up just as Tabitha felt it ... and finally, there was Tabitha, perhaps ten years old, clinging to Sirius' back as they flew over London on his gigantic motorcycle, landing beside a house that had been reduced to nothing but a pile of rubble ...

Harry felt himself being propelled backward. He slammed into the desk behind him as Tabitha broke the Legilimency he was using on her.

"Everyone out!" Tabitha barked hoarsely, her eyes wide with terror. She looked even paler than she had earlier. "You, too!" she told Ron and Hermione.

She sank onto the floor beside Harry, trembling. Ron and Hermione shoved the Slytherins out of the room and shut the door behind them. Harry could almost sense the entire class gathering around the door, trying to hear what was happening.

"How dare you!" she screeched. "How _dare_ you use Legilimency on me. To think, I defended you against Snape this summer when he said you used his Pensieve to see his memories ... I said you would never do something like that ..." Tabitha let out a long, shuddering breath.

"How would you know?" Harry said coldly. "You only met me three months ago."

"I know you much better than you could ever imagine, Potter," she spat in an icy voice.

"You killed my parents," Harry croaked. She stared at him, silent. "In my dream. And Sirius. And someone else. I thought she was your mother, but she can't be. Because I know who you are."

Tabitha nervously ran her hand through her dark hair in a manner reminiscent of James Potter—at least from what Harry had seen in the Pensieve last year. She gave a short laugh. "Oh? Who am I then, Harry?"

"You're Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter," Harry said. "You look just like her and you hate me and I saw your memories just now. I know Bellatrix and Sirius and Tonks are all cousins and you were with them, just now in those memories ..."

Tabitha let out a high, nervous laugh. All of her cool composure was gone. "Come on, Harry," she said shakily. "_Bellatrix Lestrange?_ Why would you have seen me with Sirius just now? She hated my father!"

She clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with the realization of what she'd just let slip.

The little girl at the wedding. The pink-clad baby James and Lily were holding in that picture. She was Tabitha. She was Sirius' daughter.

Harry suddenly felt sick. Tabitha hated him because Sirius died trying to save Harry. That's what Dumbledore had meant ... as if Harry didn't feel guilty enough, here was Tabitha, hating him for the very reason he hated himself. She wasn't a Death Eater, she didn't work for Voldemort; she just hated Harry because her father was dead.

But she couldn't be Sirius' daughter. She was far too old, and Sirius would have surely told Harry that he had a daughter.

"I don't believe that," Harry said. "You're trying to trick me. I saw Bellatrix Lestrange's picture in _The Daily Prophet_ today. You look just like her."

"I look like a _Black_," Tabitha replied coolly. "My cousin Bellatrix and my father and I look like my great-grandfather. Our cousin Andromeda looks just like us, too, in case you were curious."

Harry shook his head. "Sirius would have told me that he had a daughter."

"He didn't want to tell you until you could meet me," Tabitha said. "Actually, he didn't want to tell you until he was sure I didn't hate him. It was very hard for me, Harry," she continued, tears springing into her eyes.

"And it wasn't for me? Do you think you've made it easier for me?"

"No. I know I haven't. I know all about your first year here ... everyone staring and gawking at the famous Harry Potter. Well, I went to Hogwarts when that scar was still _fresh_ in the minds of every witch and wizard in Britain. As a Black, looking just like my father and my cousin, people knew that I was one of _those_ Blacks. It's not easy being the daughter of a famous murderer and—"

She looked away. "And?" Harry asked. "Who was your mother?"

Tabitha wiped her eyes and began to speak, her voice shaking, "She died fifteen years ago today."

"The same night as my parents," Harry whispered.

Tabitha nodded. "You know, I was in Egypt when I found out Dad had escaped Azkaban. By the time Remus wrote me to assure me he was innocent, I was working in Africa, and then South America. So Dad flew down there on Buckbeak and I hid him. I hadn't seen him in almost thirteen years ..." Tabitha stopped to wipe thick tears from her cheeks. She looked as if she was wasting away; her cheeks were sickly white and sunken in, making her eyes appear even larger and darker. She looked just like Sirius has after he escaped from Azkaban. "I didn't speak to him for a long time. We lived together, but I couldn't bring myself to speak to him. I knew, even when I was a nine-year-old girl, that he couldn't have killed all those people, but I knew it was his fault he was in Azkaban. He never thought before he acted. If he'd thought about it, he'd know it was a bad idea to go after Peter Pettigrew ..."

Something suddenly clicked in Harry's mind. "Phineas Nigellus," he said softly. "He's your great-great-grandfather?" Tabitha nodded. "He said Sirius gave up being Secret-Keeper for my parents to protect someone. He meant _you_, didn't he?"

Tabitha nodded miserably. "Dad knew Voldemort would go after him first. So Dad and Uncle James decided it would be safest for _us_—you and me—if Peter Pettigrew were Secret-Keeper. U-uncle Peter was always so eager to please them that they never imagined he would double-cross them. Dumbledore cast the spell, making Uncle Peter Secret-Keeper, and he put a different kind of protective spell on me and Dad, and my mother."

"Who—who was your mother?" Harry asked again.

"We were in Godric's Hollow." Harry knew that he and his parents lived in Godric's Hollow until they were killed. "My mother was visiting with Uncle James and Aunt Lily. She hadn't seen you in months. My father and I were flying around on his motorcycle. He saw something and got very tense all of a sudden and started flying straight down towards the ground. We landed in front of your house, but I didn't even realize then that it was their house. It was destroyed, a great smoking pile of debris, with the Dark Mark towering over it. Even if the house had been standing perfectly still and quiet and intact, I would have known what that mark meant. I was only nine, but I already saw it once before. Hanging over my great-grandfather's house. Everyone was dead then, too."

Something clicked in Harry's mind. One of the memories he'd just seen reentered his mind: Sirius, holding a very young Tabitha as they approached a beautiful home with a green skull suspended above it.

_"Besides, I haven't got a family for the Death Eaters to slaughter. I can't believe Dumbledore trusts Snape after that. After he did that to Lily and James …"_

"Tabitha, your mother … was she related to my family?"

Tabitha looked at Harry and nodded slowly. "My grandfather was the first Squib ever born to the Potter family, and one of the first to ever hold a high position at the Ministry of Magic. He was on business in the United States when he met my grandmother. He married her and worked in Muggle Relations for the Federal Bureau of Magical Secrecy in the US for a few years. When my mother, Laura, was born, they moved to Ireland and my grandfather started working for the Ministry again. Your grandfather, Frank, was Grandad's baby brother. They were very close, and so were Uncle James and my mother. That's how she met Sirius.

"They were in love the moment they met. That's always what they told me. They were eleven then, and Dad always spent his holidays at Uncle Frank's. He and Mum married during the Christmas holidays of Dad's seventh year. That's was Dad's final blow to his family, who were still trying to get him to 'come around' to the Black mindset, even after he officially left home. Once he married a Muggle, that was it for them." Tabitha laughed. "They didn't expect to have me so soon, just a year later. They were young, but they had money to live on and they were in love. Neither of them had to work, so we all lived in London for a time. But then Dad got worried about Voldemort. He didn't think we'd be safe, so Mum and I moved back to Dublin with my grandparents. Dad visited when he wasn't doing work for the Order, but our trips to London were very rare." Tabitha took a deep breath and looked Harry right in the eye. "She wanted to see _you_. Aunt Lily kept telling her about how you were walking and starting to talk, so we flew to London, and Dad took me out. And Mom ... well, she was just a Muggle blocking Voldemort's path to Harry Potter." A bitter tone had crept into her voice at this point.

"So you lost your parents the same night I did," Harry said angrily. "How can you blame me for Voldemort killing your mother? My parents died because Sirius was trying to protect _you_ when he gave up being Secret Keeper for my parents!"

"And that was wrong of him, to want to protect me and my mother. _Your_ mother died to protect you!"

"I just don't understand how you can blame me for all of it. I was just a baby."

"Because it was the easy thing to do," Tabitha said simply. "If I inherited one thing from my father, it was my irrationality. And besides, even if it _wasn't_ your fault that my mother died and that my father went to Azkaban, it is _certainly_ your fault that he died last spring," she said sharply. "You were far too busy snooping around other people's memories to bother with your Occlumency lessons, and you ended up getting my father killed. Do you know what it's like to get your father back, Potter, but have to see him in secret and then _lose_ him again after two years? And to have to find out the way I did ... they didn't even tell me until that day that we arrived at Grimmauld Place, did you know that? I last saw Dad in March. I stayed with him for three weeks, but I had to go to Australia and then back to South America for work. The Order wasn't allowed to send me owls because I either wouldn't find me or they'd be intercepted by the local magical governments. Finally, I was taking a short break at my grandparents' summer house in the States when an owl came from Remus, saying I had to go to Grimmauld Place as soon as possible, and pick you up on the way." Tabitha shook her head. "I couldn't talk to Remus or Tonks for days. I was so angry with them ..."

"But you did talk to Lupin," Harry said. "I overheard you both, talking about being glad you 'didn't wait' for something, and then you brought up my parents' wedding. Lupin's already told me that the two of you aren't married, but he couldn't say what you were talking about. He said it 'wasn't his place.'"

Tabitha actually looked amused. "You thought Remus and I were married? He's like my father! I've known him since I was just a baby ... he's the one I talked to when Dad was in Azkaban. And besides, he fancies my cousin."

"Then what were you two talking about?" Harry asked.

Tabitha looked slightly embarrassed. "I shouldn't be telling you, Potter, not before we tell his family ..."

"Not Charlie?"

Tabitha looked shocked. "How did you know?"

"Ron and I saw you. Down at the Quidditch pitch … we saw you kissing."

"We're married," she said softly. "But very few people know. We had a Muggle ceremony last year at my grandparents' house in America. We wanted a large wizard ceremony in the spring, but now that Voldemort's back, I don't think we're even going to bother."

"Did—did Sirius get to go?" Harry said. As much as he—still—disliked Tabitha, he hoped, for Sirius' sake, that the answer was 'yes.'

She nodded, tears pouring down her cheeks. "It's silly," she said with a laugh. "But I was happier standing beside him than I was standing beside Charlie. I think it's because I knew I'd have Charlie forever, and my father's job was to give me away when he'd only just gotten me back. I was also scared that day that, somehow, he'd be caught. It was the first time since going back to Grimmauld Place that he'd left the house for so long. But we were so far from London, and Arthur and Bill and Remus were there to keep things in order—"

"The Weasleys were there?"

"Just Molly, Arthur, and Bill. None of the other children know Charlie and I are even together—except Ginny. She—"

"I know," Harry interrupted. "She and Hermione told Ron and I that they saw Charlie at your flat."

They looked at each other for a moment. "Well," Tabitha finally said. "I don't expect us to be best friends now, Harry. I won't ask you to forget how I've been treating you. I'll try to be nicer, really."

Harry looked at her, for the first time looking for evidence of the Potters in her. Crying had brought some color into Tabitha's sunken, mourning face. He couldn't believe that—finally—he'd found a relative other than the Dursleys, and it was _Tabitha_. Finally, struggling a bit with his words, Harry said, "So you don't really hate me?"

"No," she said softly, "I try to. It's horrible to say, Harry, but I need someone to be angry with, and you're the easiest person for me to hate. Voldemort's not here, Uncle Peter's not here, Bellatrix is not here. It's not like you're the only family I have left. I have my grandparents and I have Tonks and my cousin Andromeda ... and though they don't count for much, I have Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa and even Draco Malfoy ... I'm not alone in the wizarding world, the way you are. I know I should be sympathetic and I should be nice to you because I _am_ your only wizarding family, but it's hard." She sighed.

"Tell me more about your years at Hogwarts," Harry said. "Why did you switch houses?"

"Who told you that?" Tabitha asked sharply.

"Hagrid. He told me you were a Slytherin, and then a Gryffindor."

Tabitha nodded. "I was. I was, very strongly, a Slytherin when I was Sorted. It was in my blood. And the Slytherins, well, most of them, like the rest of the school, thought I was a treacherous murderer just like they thought my father was. They were terrified of me. A few of them downright hated me, because they were the children of Death Eaters, and they thought Sirius Black had betrayed Voldemort. They thought my dad set him up to be destroyed at your house the night he killed your parents and my mother. My grandfather encouraged me to use the name Potter, but that was nearly as bad. No matter what I did, I was associated with what had happened the night Voldemort was destroyed. Not to mention that Snape had just become Head of House, and he hated me, for the same reason he hates you, because our fathers tormented him in school."

"How did you come to spend time with Hagrid?"

"He was a kindred spirit, in a way. He knew what it was like to be an outcast, and I loved helping him with his creatures. Charlie was always there; that's how we met." Tabitha smiled. "I fell in love with him when I was only eleven, just like my mother and father. After that awful first year, I asked Dumbledore to let me leave Slytherin. He re-Sorted me in his office, and I begged the Sorting Hat to change its mind. I wanted to be in Gryffindor. I knew I was brave enough and strong enough, even if I wasn't brave enough to endure six more years as a Slytherin."

"And the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor?"

"In a second. Best decision it ever made, too. I came back to Hogwarts my second year as a Gryffindor, with the name McNoira. Bill and Charlie were several years older than me, but they were my only friends for a while. Charlie and I became even closer after I made the Quidditch team. I loved being a Beater. I ended up with a lot of people who admired my Quidditch playing, but I still didn't have very many friends. Tonks was in my year, but she was a Ravenclaw and we hardly ever saw each other."

"Fred and George said you were a real troublemaker," Harry said. He was surprised at how nice Tabitha was being, and that he was actually having a good time listening to her. She was right, he couldn't forgive her previous behavior yet, but he couldn't disregard a relative who wasn't a Dursley.

Tabitha laughed. "I was. I couldn't help it. I have too much of Dad in me. Quidditch and pranks … that's how people started to come around to me." She smiled at him. "You know, Harry, maybe this will work out for us."

"I was just thinking that," he said.

She patted his arm. "I am sorry. You don't have to forgive me yet, but just know that I am. Dad would be so angry if he knew I was doing this to you." She stood up, hugging herself as if she was suddenly cold. "You should probably go now," she said. "You've got a lot to tell your friends." From the wistful tone of her voice, Harry could tell she was jealous of him. No wonder her best friends are her cousin and two of her students, Harry thought. No one wanted to be friends with a murderer's daughter when she was at Hogwarts.

She went to her desk and busied herself with papers as Harry gathered his things to leave. "Potter, wait," she said as he started to push the door open—he felt some resistance and knew that curious classmates (if not just Ron and Hermione) were still lingering there. He left the door slam shut as he walked up to Tabitha's desk, where the Marauder's Map lay.

"We'll skip Occlumency, just for tonight, okay? And you can have this back," Tabitha told him. "Thank you, for ... well, for letting me borrow it, I guess."

"Can I, er, ask why you needed it?" Harry asked, very much expecting Tabitha to admit that she was spying on someone at Hogwarts.

She looked surprised that he asked. "After all I've told you," she said. "Don't you know? I used it to talk to my father."


	16. The Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood

Chapter Sixteen

The Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood

If there had been anyone waiting outside the classroom door, they were gone by the time Harry left, the Marauder's Map clutched tightly in his hand. He didn't ask Tabitha what she meant about talking to Sirius through the map. He already had too much to think about ... but he wanted to talk to Sirius again. Harry opened the door, ready to ask her exactly what she meant, but he saw a brilliant black bird flying away from Tabitha's window, towards Hagrid's hut. She was going to see Charlie.

Ron and Hermione were waiting with Ginny at the end of the corridor, just hidden from Harry's view. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he jumped when they spoke to him.

"Harry, what just happened?"

"Why did Tabitha Stun you?"

"Does she know that you know who she really is?"

"What were you _doing_ in there for so long?"

Harry looked at them blankly. To his surprise, he mumbled, "It was nothing."

"_Nothing?_" Ron said. "Harry, you didn't just spend an hour in there for nothing!"

"An hour?" Harry echoed, looking at Ron blankly. Had it been an hour?

"Yes, an hour," Hermione sighed. "What happened? What did she tell you? You know we were looking through the keyhole, Harry. We saw you two, sitting there and talking. What could you possibly be talking about?"

"You used Legilimency, didn't you, mate?" Ron said. "The way you did to me?"

"I think so," Harry replied. "I didn't mean to ... when I opened my eyes, she was staring right at me, and all of a sudden, I just got hit with all these memories of hers."

"She was trying to wake you," Hermione said softly. "She took close to two hundred points from the Slytherins because they kept laughing and pointing at you. You kept screaming and thrashing around, for about ten minutes, I'd say. You were screaming—" She cleared her throat and glanced at Ron. "Well, you kept saying over and over 'you killed my parents, you killed my parents.' Tabitha looked really scared."

"What did you see?" Ginny said. Harry realized that she was standing very close to him. "When you used Legilimency? What memories did you see?"

Harry looked away guiltily. He felt badly enough about trespassing into Tabitha's memories; should he really tell them to his friends, as well? With a final glance towards her empty classroom, he sighed and said, "I saw her with her father."

"With Rodolphus Lestrange?" Hermione said.

Harry shook his head. "She's not the Lestranges' daughter, Hermione. I was wrong."

Hermione looked puzzled. "But you were right, Harry, she looks so much like Bella—Oh!" She covered her mouth and shook her head. "Harry, she _isn't_—I mean, he would have been much too young, wouldn't he?" Harry arched his eyebrows, shaking his head slightly. Hermione understood. "Well, well, that's good, isn't it?" she said cautiously.

Ron, his face screwed up with confusion, bellowed, "What are you two bloody talking about?"

Harry looked down at the floor. Hermione said softly, "Tabitha is _Sirius_' daughter, Ron."

Ron and Ginny's mouths dropped open. "But Hermione's right," Ron said. "Sirius was too young ..."

Harry launched into an explanation, keeping it much shorter than what Tabitha had told him. He also left off the part about her being his cousin. He wanted that to be _his_ secret for now. He told Ron about Charlie and Tabitha.

"The rest of us know," he said. "You ought to as well."

"We didn't know they were married!" Ginny squealed. "Only that they were dating, sharing the flat and such. How exciting! I have a sister! Oh, and Harry, that makes you just like family!" She kissed him on the cheek. Even though she'd kissed him many times before, his face still turned bright red.

"They've been married since last year," Harry admitted, adding quickly, "Sirius got to go." Although Ron still looked angry that his brother had gotten married and not told him, this last bit softened his hard look.

"I'm sure that was good for Tabitha," he mumbled.

"Just don't tell Charlie I told you. I'm sure and Tabitha were going to mention it soon … how long could they keep it secret?"

Ron stayed quiet as they sat down to lunch, while Hermione and Ginny were gushing about what the wedding must have been like. Harry barely poked at his lunch. He felt the Marauder's Map in his pocket, getting heavier and heavier. He had to ask Tabitha how she used it to talk to Sirius. And if she could talk to Sirius, maybe Harry could talk to James.

He couldn't concentrate in Potions. They were brewing a very complicated Invisibility potion, and Harry had accidentally skipped a very simple step. Though Snape had been ignoring Harry all year, he couldn't resist mocking him when, instead of turning the potion a thin, fine green liquid, it became billowing pink steam. "Zero, Potter," Snape muttered nastily. For the rest of class, Harry watched Hermione brew her potion—which successfully turned the rat that swallowed it invisible for ten minutes—as he turned over everything Tabitha had just told him. He didn't even notice when class ended; Hermione tugged on his robes for five minutes before Snape snapped at them to leave.

Hermione looked about ready to burst as they walked up to Gryffindor tower; when they were finally out of the bustling corridors and in the nearly-empty common room, she said anxiously, "Harry, what's bothering you? Tabitha told you something that you didn't tell us, didn't she?"

"What do you mean?" Harry said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Come on, Harry, I could tell before that you didn't tell us everything, and now something's bothering you."

Harry shook his head. "I'm just still trying to believe it all, Hermione, that's all." He could tell that Hermione didn't believe him, but she stopped trying to get him to open up anymore. When Ron and Ginny arrived back from class, Harry changed the subject. "Okay, Hermione, what have you found out about dragon's blood?"

Hermione immediately perked up. "Well, some of the uses are obviously not what we're looking for—a potion for restoring sick dragons and the like. There are two potions that use dragon's blood that I think are what the Order is planning to use them for. Prepared with asphodel and other ingredients, the blood becomes so potent that it will kill immortal creatures, like humans who have taken the Elixir of Life. If the Order managed to prepare this potion—which would be a task, as it takes nearly four months to brew, and the ingredients are all _very_ precise—and then if they could administer it to Voldemort, he would die in an instant."

"Well, _that_'s unlikely," Ron snorted.

"What's the other potion?" Harry asked.

"Just the opposite effect, actually. It's just as complicated as the other potion to prepare, but it uses different ingredients and will render the drinker impervious to bodily harm, but only temporarily. The Order would make this potion to protect themselves while fighting." Hermione looked at Harry seriously. "My guess is that the Order will be making _both_ potions, and you'll be drinking your fair share of the second one."

"Well," Harry said. "We can always ask Tabitha."

* * *

Tabitha didn't give Harry a second glance during their next class. She wasn't treating him much differently than before, which Harry was almost grateful for. He didn't want her to suddenly act nicely, especially in front of the Slytherins. Draco and the other Slytherins were still snickering about the last class, but Harry was finding it easier and easier to ignore them.

He pretended to drop his bag at the end of the class. The room emptied as he slowly picked up his belongings. Tabitha shut the door softly. "The map?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "I didn't even feel you using Legilimency on me," he said.

"Well, I _am_ getting better at it," Tabitha replied with a small smile. "But I didn't have to use it just now to know. I've been expecting you to ask. I'm surprised you didn't ask sooner." She held out her hand. Without speaking a word, she made the Marauder's map fly out of Harry's bag and into her hand. She closed her fist around it gently. She closed her eyes, as if asking the map what to do. She shook her head when she opened her eyes. "You're not ready," she said firmly.

Harry felt a sharp flame of anger shoot through him. "How do you know?" he cried. "Why do you get to decide if I'm ready to talk to my godfather, or my father?"

"Because she knows better than you do," came a soft voice from behind him. Harry turned around. Dumbledore, looking older and more tired than Harry had ever seen him look before, was standing at the door with Remus Lupin and Charlie Weasley. With the familiar twinkle in his eye, Dumbledore said, "She is, after all, the only wizard family you have left." He crossed the room and took the map from Tabitha. He studied the blank parchment with grave interest. Finally, he said, "You're sure, Remus?"

Lupin glanced at Harry quickly. "Absolutely, Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore nodded quickly and tucked the map into his long, violet cloak. "I'll be needing this, Mr. Potter, I'm sure you won't mind. And if you'll just run along to class, we have business to discuss."

"You mean about the dragon's blood?" Harry said sharply. "If I'm going to be drinking some potion to make me impervious to harm, I think I ought to have some say in it."

Dumbledore looked at Tabitha sharply. "Did you tell him?" he asked.

Tabitha shook her head forcefully. "No, no, I haven't told him anything about it!"

"Hermione figured it out," Harry said. "All this talk about dragons ... she looked up the twelve uses of dragon's blood, she figured it all out."

"Lock the door, Charlie," Dumbledore said, sitting at a desk by Harry. Charlie locked the door and even sealed it around the frame. Lupin conjured heavy shades to cover the windows. Harry sat down across from Dumbledore. "Harry, you and the other members of the Order will begin taking regular doses of this Impervious potion once we're able to brew it. We have a dragon coming here to Hogwarts after Christmas. We'll be able to use its blood to make this potion, which should protect us against any hexes, jinxes, curses ... even the Killing Curse."

"What about the potion that will kill Voldemort? Are you making that too?"

Dumbledore nodded. "The chances that we will even have the opportunity to use it is incredibly small, but we want to be as prepared as we possibly can be."

"So what do you need my map for?" Harry ask angrily.

"That is no importance to you right now, Harry. We'll have it back to you in due time. Now, I think it's best that you go." Without another word, Dumbledore ushered Harry from the room.

* * *

For weeks, Dumbledore, Tabitha, and Charlie were tight-lipped about any Order business. In answering Harry's letters, Lupin wrote only about how lovely Grimmauld Place looked now. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny couldn't think of any reason why Dumbledore needed the map. Luckily, extra homework in November, as well as regular Quidditch practices, kept them busy.

He and Ron kept Quidditch practices going well into December, until sudden heavy snowfalls forced them to let the team rest. They had beaten Hufflepuff in their first match and would be going up against Ravenclaw once the weather turned a bit warmer. His teachers kept piling on homework, and no dared skive even Hagrid and Charlie's class.

As much as Harry liked Hagrid, he could never really say that Care of Magical Creatures had been taken too seriously by most of the students. Hagrid's idea of teaching was to have the class help him raise the wild creatures he found in the forest, but with Charlie as his assistant, the students were regularly being assigned written homework and taking tests. Their workload increased as the Christmas holidays approached, but Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were the only students who knew that they had to be prepared because a dragon was on its way to Hogwarts.

Harry and Tabitha had begun their defense lessons. A few times, Tabitha took him out to the forest to practice against some of the creatures there, but their lessons were mostly uneventful. Harry was becoming so good at Occlumency that they would sometimes forego those lessons to learn new hexes and jinxes. By the end of their lessons, they were both always bruised and exhausted.

After one lesson in early December, Tabitha stopped Harry just before he trudged out of the room. She held up the Marauder's Map. "Christmas, all right?"

Harry grinned. "Christmas is fine," he said.

* * *

Usually, in mid-December, Professor McGonagall would collect the names of students who planned to stay over Hogwarts for the holidays. This year, however, Dumbledore announced to them at breakfast one morning, the school would be closed to all students. No one was to spend the holidays at Hogwarts.

"It's the dragon," Hermione whispered. "It's probably coming then, and Dumbledore wants to get it acclimated to the grounds without any students interfering."

"I think it's more than that," Harry said. "I'll bet the Order is going to relocate here for the holidays, maybe to collect some dragon's blood and make plans for the potions."

"So if Hogwarts is being closed for Order business, we'll likely be staying for Christmas," Ron said.

"If we are, I'm sure Dumbledore will tell us," Harry replied.

Dumbledore didn't mention it to them at all, but at their next Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall pulled them aside.

"You three will not be going home for the holidays, contrary to Professor Dumbledore's announcement the other day. Arthur and Molly Weasley will be spending the holidays here at Hogwarts with the rest of the Order of the Phoenix, so you three as well as Miss Weasley will remain here. Professor Dumbledore will tell you later what you are to do the morning that the other students leave on the Hogwarts' Express, as it will seem suspect that you are the only four students _not _going home."

"You were right, Harry," Hermione whispered. "Order business."

"But about the dragons, no doubt," Harry added.

The morning before everyone was to leave for the holidays, Dumbledore still hadn't given them their instructions, and Ron was still angry that Charlie hadn't told him that he and Tabitha were married. "That rotten little bugger," he seethed to Harry. "He _still_ hasn't said anything! It's Christmas soon and we're going to be celebrating with my family, don't you think he ought to tell us? Let's head up to his flat right now. Come on, we'll catch him on his way to breakfast."

They found Hermione and Ginny, and the four of them started towards the sixth floor. Harry couldn't place why, but he had a very bad feeling in his stomach that only got worse as they got closer to the flat. Finally, Hermione and Ginny led them to the tapestry of the knight and the dragon. Harry didn't want to go inside; he knew something bad was coming.


	17. Percy's Apology

****

Chapter Seventeen

Percy's Apology

Harry realized when they reached the tapestry that he didn't know the password. "Er, does anyone—"

"Norwegian Ridgeback!" Ginny told the knight, smiling at Harry. The bad feeling in his stomach only got worse. He wanted to tell them to turn back, but he couldn't find the right words. Besides, they were only going into Charlie and Tabitha's flat; what could possibly happen?

The bright red dragon snorted in disgust at Ginny, sending a stream of flames toward the armor-clad knight. "Honestly!" he shouted. "Can't you see he's a Chinese Fireball?"

"It's the password!" Hermione said, exasperated.

"Oh, right," the knight replied. The painting swung forward, revealing a large door with "The Weasleys" written on it in gilded lettering. ("That's new," Ginny giggled to Hermione.)

"'The Weasleys,'" Ron mumbled. The golden knocker was in the shape of a fierce Hungarian Horntail. Ron grasped its spiked tail and rapped the door. "Charlie must feel right at home here, with all these dragons everywhere," he said.

The door opened rapidly. "Minerva, we've been—" Tabitha stopped when she saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny standing before her. "What are you four doing here?" she asked, surprised.

"Is Charlie here? We need to ask you something," Ron said.

"Yes. There's, er—" Tabitha looked behind her and then back to her students. "Well," she said hesitantly. "I suppose you four ought to stay. You'd be hearing about this soon enough, anyway." She showed them in and said quietly, "Arthur's here. There was an attack at the Ministry last night. That's all he's told us so far. We're waiting for Professor McGonagall." She led them past the small front hall and into a cozy study, where Charlie and Bill Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Snape, Lupin, Hagrid, and Professor Dumbledore sat. Only the small sofa on which Bill and Mr. Weasley sat and the armchair where Lupin was perched seemed to be the furniture that belonged; the rest looked as if it had been conjured to seat the rest of the guests.

Snape narrowed his eyes as Tabitha entered. "What are they doing here?" he asked nastily.

"I don't think it's your place to ask, Professor Snape," Charlie said hotly. "My brother and sister and their friends are always welcome in my home."

"True as that may be, _Professor_ Weasley, very serious matters are to be discussed ..."

Mr. Weasley jumped in before they began to argue. "Severus, they can hear this. They would have been told, anyway. Here, have a seat," he said, conjuring up another sofa, which barely fit inside the little room.

A loud knock echoed through the flat. "That'll be Minerva," Tabitha said, racing to the door. She reappeared a moment later with Professor McGonagall, who was quickly supplied with a chair. Tabitha leaned against a large bookshelf with Charlie. Everyone stared silently at Mr. Weasley.

Mr. Weasley looked upset. His face was very pale, and his hands shook as he wiped his glasses on his robes. "There—there was an attack early this morning," he began. "You all know that much. The Ministry has not made any comment to _The Daily Prophet_, but it should be running a story about the attacks once Fudge gives them more information. _If_ Fudge gives them more information." He took a deep breath before continuing, "It appears that several Death Eaters gained entry to the Ministry this morning. They killed the four guards stationed in the Atrium before spreading out. It seems that their mission wasn't to kill_ everyone_ at the Ministry, but to wound enough to send a message. Everyone who wasn't killed is at St. Mungo's, on the Spell Damages floor." He paused, then looked from Lupin to Tabitha with great sympathy. "Nymphadora Tonks was taken to St. Mungo's. She's been very badly injured."

Lupin's face went white. Tabitha had grabbed Charlie's arm and was clutching it tightly. He put his arm around her reassuringly. Lupin absently ran his fingers through his graying hair. "Will she—will she be all right, Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley shook his head softly. "I don't know, Remus," he said. "She hasn't woken up yet." Lupin stood suddenly, shaking. He turned towards the wall and stood there, wringing his hands, his eyes clenched shut. Hermione and Ginny sat in shock.

Mr. Weasley wasn't finished. "Tonks was one of the luckier ones," he said. "Most of the other Aurors were ... well, she was found with Perkins in my office, so perhaps the Death Eater who went after her didn't know she was an Auror. But Kingsley ..."

"Oh, no!" Hermione whispered hoarsely. Kingsley Shacklebolt was a tall, serious, black wizard who'd taken on Bellatrix Lestrange last year after she killed Sirius. Harry didn't know him well, but he seemed like a nice fellow. He was in charge of the Ministry's hunt for Sirius, and for the past several years he'd been redirecting the search so as to keep Sirius from being detected. Last year, when Harry went to the Ministry Headquarters with Mr. Weasley, Kingsley had given them a magazine that he thought Sirius would enjoy reading.

"He's dead, Arthur?" Dumbledore said quietly.

"I'm afraid so, Professor Dumbledore," Mr. Weasley replied.

"How many others were killed?" Bill asked seriously.

"Right now, fifteen, with about that many at St. Mungo's." Mr. Weasley sighed. "They chose their time for a reason. They know they wouldn't have been able to make such a brazen attack during the day, when the Ministry was full. No, no, they're just sending us a message. And now, with so many Aurors gone, we won't be able to guard Azkaban as well as we have been. The Death Eaters may just be able to escape again."

Charlie touched his father's arm lightly. "Dad, when you got there ... was—was he there yet?"

"Who?" Harry asked. He looked around at the members of the Order, perhaps imagining that they all knew who Mr. Weasley was to meet at the Ministry of Magic, but only Bill and Mr. Weasley appeared to know what Charlie was talking about.

Mr. Weasley closed his eyes briefly. He was choked up when he began speaking, "I was, uh ... well, I was to meet with Percy this morning at the Ministry. He contacted me last week and said he had something important to show me, but we had to meet secretly while Fudge and most of the other employees were gone." Harry felt Ginny's hand slip into his nervously. _This is it_, Harry thought. Mr. Weasley continued, "Percy ... well, everyone found near Fudge's office was dead when I got there, and Percy—"

"It's all right, Dad," Bill said softly.

"I haven't told Molly or Fred and George yet," Mr. Weasley continued, his voice still quavering. "I really should be off to the Burrow to tell them. Professor Dumbledore, I'll need my children home for several days for—for the funeral." A sharp sob escaped Ginny's lips. Without knowing what else to do, Harry put his arm around her shoulder awkwardly.

Dumbledore looked at the Weasleys sympathetically. "The Order can carry on its business without you until feel it's the right time to come back."

"Charlie and I will help the kids pack, Dad," Tabitha told Mr. Weasley. Harry started slightly at how she addressed Mr. Weasley. But then, she had known the Weasleys and been friends with Charlie since she was a first year at Hogwarts. Harry felt a pang of jealousy. Tabitha could cry to him about losing Sirius, but at least she had always had some kind of a father. The Marauder's Map suddenly flashed through his mind, though he didn't why.

Mr. Weasley gave Tabitha a grateful smile. "Thank you," he said hoarsely.

Tabitha hugged her grandparents. "I'll see you in a few days," she whispered. She and Charlie led Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny out of the flat, while the rest of the Order continued to quietly discuss the attack. Ron and Harry were walking stiffly, unable to speak. Hermione and Ginny were crying softly. Tabitha walked beside the girls slowly, her arms around their shoulders.

"I'll go to the Burrow with you all," she told Charlie softly. "But I have to go to St. Mungo's to see my cousin. I'll talk to Remus before we leave; I'm sure he's heading right to London to see her."

"I can't believe they got Perce," Charlie muttered. "And Kingsley. He was one of our best ..."

"Charlie," Tabitha said. "It's all right. Help the boys pack. We'll talk on the train."

Tabitha followed the girls up to the girls' dormitory. Charlie went with Harry and Ron, who mechanically packed several days' worth of clothes. "You won't have to worry about your trunks or any of that now," Charlie whispered, taking care not to wake Neville, Dean, and Seamus.

"Charlie?" Ron whispered. "What was Percy going to tell Dad?"

Charlie shook his head. "I don't know for sure. He told Dad that he was really sorry about this past year and that he realized that he was completely wrong, that he just realized something about Fudge. But he couldn't tell Dad; he had to _show_ him." Charlie laughed dryly. "To think, of all days? Perce got the boot months ago, and the _one_ day he goes back to the Ministry ..."

"What do you think Mum's going to do?" Ron asked seriously.

"I don't know, Ron. I'd rather not be around Mum, actually, but I know she'll need us. This is what she's been worried about." Charlie looked towards the door. "I think I hear Tabitha and the girls. Come on, I'm sure Dad is waiting."

Charlie and Tabitha walked behind them all, whispering quietly. Ron and Hermione walked hand-in-hand, silent. Harry grasped Ginny's hand as they left Gryffindor tower; she sniffled, silent tears dripping down her cheeks.

Harry could only think of Sirius. _This is how his death would have been treated if he hadn't been in Azkaban_, he thought bitterly. _And if Tabitha's mother never died_._ Sirius would have had his family and his wife's family mourning him properly if not for Peter Pettigrew_.

Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Lupin were waiting for them just outside the Great Hall, where the rest of the school was noisily eating breakfast. Outside, Hagrid had a carriage waiting to drive everyone through the snow to Hogsmeade. From there, Tabitha would drive them to the Weasleys' home in Ottery-St. Catchpole. She and Lupin made plans to meet at St. Mungo's later that day to see Tonks.

In the village, Mr. Weasley hugged each of his children. "I'll see you all at the Burrow," Mr. Weasley said. "I'm Apparating there now, to tell Molly and the twins." He and Lupin waved to them as Tabitha drove away, and then both of them disappeared.

Tabitha sealed off the front seat, so she, Charlie, and Bill could talk freely without the younger kids hearing them.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sat in silence for a while as Tabitha's car flew through the countryside. Ginny was still sniffling, though she had stopped crying. Hermione was holding her hand and patting her arm reassuringly. Finally Ron said, "That giant git."

"Ron!" Ginny yelled sharply.

"Well, it's true!" Ron spat. "If that prat had never abandoned our family, he wouldn't have had to ask Dad to go to the Ministry just to apologize and tell him that he was wrong. And now, he's dead, and it's all his own fault! Poor Mum. Look at what Percy's putting her through now!"

Fresh tears spilled down Ginny's cheeks. "Ron!" Hermione snapped.

There was a _pop_ as the seal around the front seat disappeared. Bill turned around. "How are you all doing?" he asked. He looked at Ginny sympathetically. "I know, Gin, it's hard for us. But we've got to remember what's happening. We have to expect that things like this are going to happen. Sirius, Kingsley, and Percy were only the first to go. We can only expect that You-Know-Who is going to come after more of us. We've got to be strong, okay? Especially for Mum." He smiled at Ron and Ginny. "Remember that time that Fred and George charmed Percy's nightshirt so he thought he was shrinking? He just about fainted when he looked in the mirror and thought he was the size of a house elf!" Ron and Ginny laughed weakly.

Harry and Hermione listened quietly as the Weasleys told more stories about Percy. Hermione said that Percy had always been really nice to her. Harry remained silent; Percy had always been nice to him, too, until last summer when he warned Ron that Harry and Dumbledore were dangerous and shouldn't be trusted.

Fred and George Weasley were waiting for them outside the Burrow when they arrived. "Mum's in a real state," George told them. "It's hard to be with her right now. I don't think she really knows what to do right now."

Harry was almost afraid to see Mrs. Weasley. He thought of last year, when he walked in on her trying to get rid of a boggart in Grimmauld Place. The little shape shifter had become every member of the Weasley family, appearing dead to Mrs. Weasley. She had been so upset that she couldn't perform the simple spell to get rid of the nasty little creature. Harry could only imagine how inconsolable Mrs. Weasley must be.

Bill and Charlie loaded up their arms with everyone's bags. "Well," Bill said. "Come on."

Harry was immensely unnerved by the haunting quiet of the Burrow. Every other time he'd been there, the house had been teeming with life. But the Weasley boys remained unusually solemn.

Mr. Weasley emerged from the back of the house. "Ah, you're here already."

"Molly's making dinner," Mr. Weasley continued. "And I just got back from Uncle Edward's. He's going to tell the rest of the family for us."

"How's Mum?" Charlie asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Mr. Weasley said. "I don't think she's realized it yet. Tabitha, maybe you ought to—"

"I'll help her with dinner," Tabitha said. She walked briskly to the kitchen.

"Bill, Charlie, I need you to see William Thanatos about doing a service in two days, and Fred and George, see Mr. Ollivander about the wand-burning ceremony. Ron, Harry, go up to Percy's room and look for his Hogwarts' robes and his Head Boy badge." Mr. Weasley stopped and ran his fingers through his thinning red hair. "Am I forgetting anything?" The Weasleys, who understandably knew far more about wizard funerals than did Harry and Hermione, shook their heads. "Good, good. I've, er, got to Apparate to your grandparents. I told Ed that I'd tell them. Hermione and Ginny, you can help Molly in the kitchen, or maybe start tidying up the house? We're going to have a lot of people here in a few days. We best make the place look nice. Well, I'll see you all in an hour for dinner." With a _pop_, Mr. Weasley disappeared.

Bill looked at his watch. "Mr. Thanatos should still be around, but we'd better go quick, Charlie." He looked at the twins. "And Mr. Ollivander may have already closed up shop."

"We'll be able to catch him," Fred assured his brother. The four eldest Weasley brothers disappeared as quickly as Mr. Weasley.

"What's all this for?" Hermione asked when everyone had gone. "The wand burning and the Hogwarts' robes?"

"The wand burning is just a ceremony. A lot of wizards don't do it anymore," Ron said. "It's supposed to be a way of making sure that no other wizard tries to harness your powers once you're dead. Of course, some families have wands that they pass down as part of tradition. And, I dunno, I guess Mum and Dad want Perce to be ... well, to be dressed in his Hogwarts' robes when we cremate him."

"Cremate?" Hermione said faintly. "Do wizards ever bury—?"

Ron shook his head. "It's part of the ceremony."

Hermione looked at Ginny nervously. "We ought to ... to tidy up a bit, like your dad said." Ginny nodded. They moved about the living room awkwardly, picking up loose articles of clothing, forgotten knitting projects, and toys that had to have been invented for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Harry and Ron walked upstairs quietly. The house was still full of an eerie silence that neither wanted to disrupt.

Percy's room was immaculate. It wasn't difficult to find his old Hogwarts robes hanging in the wardrobe. His Head Boy and Prefect badges were displayed prominently on a shelf above his bed, next to a picture of a pretty young woman.

"Ron, is ... was Percy still seeing Penelope Clearwater?" Harry asked, looking at the picture.

"Oh, bollocks, I don't know," Ron said. "I wonder if she's heard. I mean, d'you think it's in _The Daily Prophet_ today?"

"Shouldn't it be?" Harry wondered aloud. "I mean, it was a massive attack on the Ministry, fifteen people dead, all targeted around Fudge's off—oh!"

"What is it, Harry?"

"Oh, nothing. I just—well, it's just odd to think that Percy—"

"I know. I still can't believe it," Ron said. "I—I think I know how you felt now. You know, when Sirius ... I mean, I think it was much worse for you. Percy was my brother and all, but he was a git, and he didn't give two licks about our family. But it's odd to think that he'll never be here again. We don't even have a portrait of him to annoy us. Mum always wanted a portrait of the family, but we couldn't aff—we ... well, you know, we couldn't _afford_ it."

Harry smiled at Ron weakly. "D'you reckon Ginny will be okay?"

"Probably. But she's like Mum. If Percy had just decided to come home, they'd have forgiven him in an instant. But the rest of us wouldn't have made it so easy for him."

Harry watched Ron putter around Percy's room, looking at his photographs and all the things he left behind when he left home. Harry didn't know why, but he just couldn't tell Ron yet about what he'd realized. _Once we're back at Hogwarts_, Harry told himself resolutely. He would tell Hermione and Ginny, too—that is, if Hermione hadn't already figured it out.

Harry hadn't really been paying attention to Charlie when he remarked that the one day Percy returned to the Ministry after being fired happened to be the day of a massive attack. And Percy had been there to tell Mr. Weasley—no, _show_ Mr. Weasley—something about Fudge, something Percy had realized.

Percy had been fired personally by Cornelius Fudge. Ron told Harry it was because Percy still didn't believe Dumbledore and Harry's claims that Voldemort was back, and he got into an argument with Fudge about it. But did everyone who overheard them hear the fight correctly? Or had their memories been modified by Fudge?

Harry could feel his palms beginning to sweat. It was too frightening to think; as bumbling as Fudge was, as Minister of Magic, he had a lot of power. If he had teamed up with Voldemort, then Percy, as his personal assistant, would most likely know. Fudge could have overestimated just how loyal an assistant Percy was; perhaps their fight was _not_ about Percy's disbelief in Voldemort's return, but Fudge's new alliance with Voldemort. Between them, they would have enough spies to find out if Percy dared tell anyone. And then, they would be free to attack ...

No, it was too ridiculous. Harry tried to wipe the idea from his head, but it stubbornly remained. He promised himself to tell his friends once they returned to Hogwarts; once they laughed at him and assured him the idea was ridiculous, he would feel much better about forgetting it.

Hermione came up a few minutes later. "Everyone's just got back," she told them. "Mrs. Weasley and Tabitha are setting out dinner right now."

"Thanks, Hermione." Ron smiled at her before taking her hand and walking with her down the stairs. Harry followed close behind, his stomach in knots from the possibility that Fudge could be working with Voldemort.

Since the Weasleys' kitchen was too small to accommodate a table for eleven, a second table had been set up in the living room for Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins. Mrs. Weasley's face was pale and drawn; she was not at all herself. She embraced Harry and Ron for a long time before letting them go. "You poor boy," she murmured, patting down Ron's hair. "To have lost your brother."

"Are you all right, Mum?" Ron asked cautiously.

"Don't worry about me, Ron," Mrs. Weasley said briskly. "I've got too many people worrying about me; let _me_ worry about_ you_. Bill, will you help me bring out the dishes—?"

"Here, Mum, we've got it," Fred said. He and George went into the kitchen and emerged with huge serving dishes, which they set down gingerly on the table.

"Come on, Mum, they're all right," Charlie said gently. He and Bill led her into the kitchen, where Tabitha and Mr. Weasley were waiting.

"Poor Mum," George sighed. "She was hovering all over me and Fred today before you lot got here. Dad says he sort of expected her to act like this."

They ate in silence. Harry could hear some murmuring from the kitchen; he thought he heard Mrs. Weasley start to cry. He shifted in his chair. The silence of the Burrow was completely unnerving.

Fred finally spoke. "So Harry, have you patched things up with our friend Tabitha?"

Harry nodded. "She, er ... well, she told me about herself."

"What d'you mean?" George asked.

"Tabitha is Sirius' daughter," Ron said. Fred and George's mouths dropped open.

"No!" George said. "But her last name isn't Black ..."

"Not the one she uses, but her last name _is_ Black," Ron said.

"Well ..." Harry interrupted.

"Right, well, her last name is Weasley now, but—"

"Oy! Just a minute! What do you mean, her last name is Weasley?" Fred demanded.

"No one told you, either?" Ron said. "Honestly, the next time Charlie gets married—"

"What!" the twins cried.

"We'll ask him about it later," Ron said. "After Mum goes to bed."

Harry and Ron tried to help Mrs. Weasley after dinner, but she insisted on cleaning up herself. "Ron, you just entertain Harry for tonight. We're going to have a lot of people coming by the next few days, so you'd best make the most of tonight."

"Mum, are you sure—"

"Ronald Weasley, get upstairs this instant and have fun with your friend!"

"Yes, Mum."

"D'you think she'll be all right?" Harry asked as they walked upstairs.

"I don't know. Dad will make sure she is, I guess."

As they passed Fred and George's room, Harry saw that the door was cracked open. Bill, Charlie, Tabitha, the twins, Ginny, and Hermione were inside, talking quietly.

"Grandma will be here tomorrow," Bill was saying. "We won't have to worry once Mum's mother is here."

Harry and Ron pushed the door open all the way. Tabitha jumped. "You two scared—is that really the time?" She was staring at the clock above the door.

"It's a few minutes slow, I think," Fred said. "At least, that would explain why George and I are nearly almost late in opening the shop."

"I've got to go; I was supposed to meet Remus almost an hour ago." Tabitha kissed Charlie on the cheek. "I'll be back first thing tomorrow, I promise. I'm staying with my Aunt Andromeda tonight."

"Just stay with Tonks as long as you have to," Charlie assured her. Tabitha said goodbye quickly and Disapparated.

"Hmm, that was interesting, wasn't it, Mr. Weasley?" Fred said to George.

"Very, Mr. Weasley," George replied. They eyed Charlie carefully. "Tabitha's a lovely woman, isn't she, Mr. Weasley?"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "I suppose Harry's told you all, then?" He winked at Harry. "It's all right. I should have said something earlier."

"Why didn't you tell any of us?" Ron demanded.

Charlie shrugged. "Tabitha and I only got married last year because Voldemort was back. We were planning on telling everyone once she got back from working in South America, but there just hasn't been time—"

"There was all summer!" Ron cried.

"Listen, don't worry about it," Bill jumped in. "Now you all know; that's what's important."

"What's important is what we're dealing with right now," Charlie said. "We've got the funeral to get through, and Tabitha's upset because Tonks is in the hospital. And the dragon may already be at Hogwarts when we go back."

"What dragon?" Fred said. "Are George and I not in the Order any more?"

Charlie and Bill quickly summed everything up for Fred and George, who were both wholly dissatisfied in the lack of information they'd been getting recently.

"We'll have to open up a shop in Hogsmeade, just to stay updated on what's happening at Hogwarts," George muttered.

There was a knock on the door. Mr. Weasley let himself in. "You should all think about getting to bed early tonight," he said. "People are going to be coming by early tomorrow, and I need you boys to see Mr. Thanatos and Mr. Ollivander tomorrow to confirm our plans for Monday, all right?"

"Sure, Dad, get some rest tonight, all right?" Bill said.

"And make sure Mum sleeps well," George added.

Mr. Weasley smiled. "Goodnight, boys, Ginny, Hermione."

Harry couldn't sleep that night. He was tossing and turning about Fudge, and his anxiety over meeting the extended Weasley family continued to grow. He finally fell asleep just before the sun came up.


	18. A Wizard Funeral

Chapter Eighteen

A Wizard Funeral

"It's really him!"

"He's got the scar and everything."

"I thought Fred and George were lying."

"Why'd you think that? Even Uncle Arthur said it was true, that Harry Potter's friends with old Ronnie!"

Harry opened his eyes slowly. Five children, unmistakably Weasleys, crowded around his bed, staring at him in awe.

"What're you lot doing up here? Get out of my room, you bloody gits!" The children squealed as Ron shooed them out of his room, slamming the door behind them. He gave Harry a lopsided smile. "Sorry, mate. My cousins. Tried to keep 'em out, but I had to help Dad for a bit …" He trailed off. "Well, ready to meet everyone?"

After Harry had dressed and tried to make his hair presentable, he and Ron descended the stairs to the kitchen. "I didn't realize everyone was coming today," he said.

"Mum and Dad didn't, either. And it's not everyone, mate, just Mum's sister and Dad's brothers and their spawn." Ron ripped his hand from the banister and looked at it in horror. "Ugh, boogers. Must be Ian's. He's had his finger in his nose since he got here."

Harry had never felt so nervous. As anxious as he was to meet the Weasleys' family, doing so under these circumstances wasn't entirely pleasant. And, judging from the boogers on Ron's hand, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to meet _all_ the Weasleys.

Two girls, both about ten, sat in the living room knitting. They looked up as Harry and Ron came downstairs. They stared at Harry's forehead for a moment and then looked at each other, bursting into giggles. Ron rolled his eyes. He pointed to the small, pale brunette. "Thomasina Black," he said. He noticed Harry's surprise. "Her granddad's a Squib," he whispered. "Kicked out of the family long ago, before Sirius was even born, I think." He pointed to the red haired girl. Like Charlie, her freckles were so many that they nearly made her pale complexion seem tan. "Kathleen Weasley, my uncle Edward's daughter. She's got three brothers, Peter, Hugh, and Ian, all younger. Kathleen and Thomasina are starting Hogwarts next year. Come on, I bet Mum's waiting for us in the kitchen. Breakfast has been sitting out forever."

Mrs. Weasley was sitting at the kitchen table with a large mug of tea as two woman fussed over her. Both were short and plump like Mrs. Weasley. The younger of the two had sleek auburn hair and was wearing a smart blue suit. The older woman had her graying hair tied in a neat bun and her round glasses sat carefully on her nose. Mrs. Weasley was trying to get up.

"Now Molly," the older woman clucked. "This is a terrible tragedy, we're all suffering greatly, but you most of all! Let us take care of _you_, dear, and until we leave you will not lift a finger, do you understand? Maggie, that dear girl who was here this morning, what was her name? O'This or McThat, something of that sort. Anyway, she said Molly would hardly let her do a thing yesterday, and the poor girl, her cousin in the hospital, was so gracious to offer! Molly, you ought to take help when it's offered, especially under such—"

"Ron, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley had finally noticed the boys standing in the doorway.

"Morning, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, eyeing the two strange woman warily.

"Harry Potter!" the older woman cooed. "Oh, it's an honor to finally meet you!" She grabbed him into a tight embrace. "Charlotta Prewett, though of course you'll call me Nana; Molly tells me you're practically another son to her!" She finally released him, only to have the other woman swoop in and hug him even harder.

"You poor dear, I suppose this is all too familiar for you, having seen so much tragedy in your life!" she moaned.

"Now, Maggie," Mrs. Weasley said sharply. "Harry's never been through this, much too young to remember. Dear boy's fortunate in that, if you ask me. Now, let him go, he needs to eat."

Released, Harry sat down and began inhaling his breakfast. "This is my sister, by the way, Harry. Maggie Black."

"Harry's just met Thomasina and Kathleen," Ron said. "And the boys woke him this morning."

"Well, I'll have a word with them," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Oh, don't you dare," Maggie Black insisted. In a second, she was hollering as she walked outside, "Edgar Black! Peter, Hugh, Ian, and Rupert Weasley! Don't go bothering poor Harry Potter …!"

"Mum, would you go see that Louise and Iris are all right with the wash. You know, never mind, _I'll_—"

"You will not," Mrs. Prewett said firmly. "Sit down, Molly, and have more tea. I'll go check on them."

As soon as her mother left the room, Mrs. Weasley jumped up. "I have to clean this kitchen," she muttered to herself, frantically setting the dishes and pans to wash themselves as she began scrubbing the counters. "Driving me bonkers, they are, and not doing a lick of good …"

Ron raised his eyebrows at Harry. "The good thing about this lot being here," he whispered. "Is that Mum's too annoyed with them fussing over her to think about Percy."

Percy. Harry had almost forgotten for a second why everyone was here, and now he felt guilty. He watched Ron eat his breakfast and wondered what his best friend could possibly be thinking. Certainly, he was more torn up about Percy's death than he was letting on. Harry resolved to talk to Hermione. He didn't think Ron would tell her anything that he wouldn't tell Harry, but she was much better at reading people than Harry was. Except …

No. Harry didn't know how to use Legilimency, at least not intentionally. And besides, he wouldn't spy on his best friend that way. Still … the idea was intriguing.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of Weasleys. Harry met Mr. Weasley's three brothers, including Uncle Bilius, who, according to Ron, had died after seeing the Grim. "No, no, I'm fine," Uncle Bilius chuckled as Hermione gave Ron an annoyed look that plainly said, "You didn't know your own uncle was alive?" Uncle Bilius was clearly Fred and George's favorite relative, their inspiration for mayhem. He'd started the Grim rumor himself before disappearing to the Virgin Islands for several years, just before Ron entered Hogwarts.

Harry was most excited to meet Uncle Daniel, Aunt Maggie's husband. But, as Ron said, Uncle Daniel's Squib father had long been kicked out of the Black family. Uncle Daniel was a Muggle and didn't know any of his father's relatives and would in fact be meeting his cousin Andromeda for the first time at Percy's funeral. "Not a terribly good way to meet long-lost relatives," he said sadly. But, Harry would find, Uncle Daniel said everything sadly. He was a terribly meek, miserable man, and his wife's fussing only seemed to make him more miserable.

When Harry and Ron went to bed that night, Rupert Weasley and Edgar Black were sleeping on magicked cots between their beds, so they couldn't discuss any sort of Order business. And now that Harry was no longer being bombarded by strangers, he could think clearly and was starting to remember his thoughts about Percy and Fudge from the night before. Just when he was about to ask Ron to go outside so they could talk privately, he heard snoring from the far side of the room. Deflated, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

* * *

"That Thomasina … I know she's your cousin, but honestly!" Hermione ripped into a piece of toast. "I've never met such an insufferable know-it-all …"

Ron gave her a look. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "At least _I've_ got a personality," she huffed. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Harry played with his fork, and Ginny seemed fascinated by her eggs.

"How's your mum?" Hermione finally said.

"Nana's driven her completely mad, I think," Ginny said. "But besides that, she's still, well …"

"Not exactly right," Fred said, yawning as he entered the kitchen. "She was in Perce's room last night, looking through his things and crying. George and I walked by after everyone else went to bed."

"Oh? And what were you two doing up then?" Hermione asked.

Fred and George exchanged looks. They sat down and leaned inward. "We were tweaking some new prototypes when a black bird landed on our windowsill and looked in, then flew away. We know it was Tabitha. She must've thought Charlie was in there."

"Thing is," George continued. "She had something in her mouth, a piece of parchment. It was the Marauder's Map, but we knew that Harry had that."

"No, she took it from me," Harry said. "The Order needs it for something, but she said I'd be getting it back at Christmas."

"Well, naturally we went to Charlie's room to eavesdrop," Fred continued. "That's when we passed Mum in Percy's room. Oy, George, pass the bangers."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stared at the twins, who continued eating without speaking.

"Well?" Ron finally sputtered.

"Well what?" George said, his mouth full of sausage.

"Charlie and Tabitha?"

"Oh, did you want to hear the rest?"

"Fred!"

"George!"

"All right, all right, George, we may as well tell them," Fred sighed.

"We didn't hear anything," George said sadly.

"Bollocks, what did you hear?" Ron demanded.

"Honestly," Fred insisted. "It must have been something important, otherwise Charlie wouldn't've blocked his door from eavesdroppers."

"Maybe it was just private," Hermione suggested.

"Nope. When Tabitha flew into our room, it seemed urgent. And she didn't stay long. We heard her flying away a few minutes later."

"You don't think," Ginny said softly. Everyone looked at her. Eyes wide open, lip trembling, she said, "You don't think Tonks died, do you?"

Fred's shoulders slumped. "Hadn't thought of that. I sure hope not."

A minute later, Tabitha stormed into the kitchen, Charlie at her heels. "I can't believe you," she seethed, brushing angry tears from her eyes. Noticing her students, she stopped. "Oh, good morning, everyone."

"Tabitha, is Tonks okay?" Hermione asked urgently.

Tabitha looked a bit taken aback. "Actually, she's quite well. She woke up last night; I was with her all night." Everyone looked at each other quickly, wondering just what Charlie and Tabitha had been doing with the map last night.

Tabitha shoved past Charlie and joined them at the table. "How are you all doing?" she asked. "It's going to be a very hard day. Are you all well? Ginny, you look a bit pale." Ginny shrugged. Tabitha forced an encouraging smile. "Well. Girls, why don't you help me tidy up a bit? We have a lot of food to prepare for this afternoon, might as well do it in a clean kitchen. Come on, before your aunts and your grandmothers rush in here and try to take my job." She glared at Charlie and spat, "But no, they shouldn't try to take my job, as they're all quite frightened of me!"

"Tabs …"

Tabitha turned her back to him and marched to the sink. Ginny and Hermione followed her quietly.

Charlie buried his face in his hands as he joined Harry and his brothers at the table. "If you ever get married," he said quietly. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Ron asked stupidly.

"Get married, you git," Fred replied.

"Charlie, why don't you just _tell_ everyone that you're married?" George said. "It's the sensible thing to do, mate."

"Oh, yes, Nana, Pop, you remember Bellatrix Lestrange, the Death Eater who killed your sons? Well, guess who I've married!"

"But Charlie, no one's got anything against Uncle Daniel …"

"Uncle Daniel's father did not betray the Potters and murder Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles," Charlie said shortly.

"Neither did Sirius," Harry said. "And _The Daily Prophet_'s even been saying …"

Charlie clenched his jaw. "Not any more, Harry." He pulled a copy of the newspaper from his back pocket and handed it to Harry.

Ron looked over Harry's shoulder as he read the front page aloud. "'Sirius Black Suspected in Ministry Attack?'" Harry gaped at Charlie. "But …"

"Keep reading, mate."

_Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge announced today that_

_ Sirius Black is the prime suspect in the recent attack on the_

_ Ministry of Magic, which, at last count, has left eighteen_

_ dead and thirteen seriously injured, including Black's cousin,_

_ Auror Nymphadora Tonks. _The Daily Prophet_ has been_

_ reporting that the Ministry will reopen Black's fifteen-year-_

_ old murder case for further investigation, but Fudge says that_

_ is no longer true. "The truth is," Fudge says. "Black's case_

_ does not warrant reopening. We only have the word of Albus_

_ Dumbledore and Harry Potter to go on, and that has proven_

_ to be no good." Fudge went on to say that Dumbledore and_

_ Potter's claims about the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-_

_ Named appear to be false. "We did begin to believe them,_

_ unfortunately. But as of this date, the Ministry has not found_

_ one solid piece of evidence supporting the return of You-Know-_

_ Who." Fudge speculates that Black has been rallying forces,_

_ which may include Hogwarts' headmaster Dumbledore and the_

_ boy-who-lived Potter. "Black certainly learned terrible things_

_ from Who-Know-Who," Fudge says. "If Albus Dumbledore and_

_ the Potter boy are not following him of their own free will, they_

_ may very well be under the Imperius Curse." However, Fudge_

_ admits that the Ministry cannot give solid evidence of an alliance_

_ between Black and his alleged servants, and that their claims of_

_ his innocence may be nothing more than wishful thinking._

_ Before Black entered He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's service,_

_ he was close to Dumbledore and is the godfather of Potter._

_ Minister Fudge, believed to be the main target of the attack,_

_ does not believe Dumbledore or Potter was involved in the_

_ attack at the Ministry, but he has named one possible accomplice._

_ Black's daughter, Tabitha McNoira, who altered her surname_

_ shortly after her father's imprisonment in Azkaban, has been_

_ spotted around England and Scotland since July. She has_

_ lived out of the country since graduating from Hogwarts, and_

_ Fudge speculates that she has been harboring Black since his_

_ escape from Azkaban three years ago. Miss McNoira has been_

_ teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts since_

_ September. Fudge has not commented on whether the Ministry_

_ will remove her from her post._

Charlie sighed. "The whole family is buzzing against Tabitha right now," he murmured. "Insisting that Mum and Dad toss her out before Sirius shows up and finishes us all off. And they're about ready to pounce on Harry and Dumbledore to 'knock some sense into you.' They'll believe anything _The Prophet_ tells them, even if it contradicts everything else that's been said for months. They're going to beg Dumbledore to sack Tabitha, and I don't doubt that quite a lot of parents will be asking the same thing after seeing this rubbish."

"But," Ron, who'd just finished the article, sputtered. "Don't they know it was the Death Eaters who attacked the Ministry?"

"Of course they do," Harry said evenly. "But as Fudge is aligned with Voldemort, he wouldn't admit that, would he?"

Charlie sighed again. "Harry, we haven't got any information that Fudge and You—"

"Of course we do," Harry said. "I've been thinking about it since the other night. _What_ could Percy possibly have to show your father? It had to have been something connecting Fudge to Voldemort; _that's_ why he and Fudge had a falling out. After Fudge announced that he believed Dumbledore, Voldemort must've gotten a hold on him, and Percy found out. It would have been easy for Fudge to make it seem like they were arguing over whether Voldemort was back, when _really_ they were arguing about Fudge joining him. Who knows, maybe he tried to get Percy to join, too. And he probably modified Percy's memory when it was all over—"

"But somehow, Perce remembered and realized he had to show Dad," Charlie finished. "_Brilliant_, Harry."

"And someone knew. Maybe Fudge, _probably_ Fudge. He found out somehow, and arranged with Voldemort to have the Ministry attacked. That's why the attack was based around Fudge's office, so Fudge can make it seem like he was the target."

"Harry, you've got to bring this up at the next Order meeting," Charlie said. "It's set for tomorrow night. We were going to discuss the attack, and this, well, this could very well be the answer we'd've been looking for. Oy, Perce." Charlie shook his head. "And to think, this whole time we thought he'd turned his back on us." He looked at Tabitha, who was furiously preparing food as Hermione and Ginny tidied up. "I hear the aunties coming," he said. "Best go protect my wife before they throw her out of the house."

Fred and George Disapparated quickly, admitting they were not keen on their aunts fussing over them just then, leaving Harry and Ron alone at the table.

Ron was very silent as his aunts burst into the kitchen. He and Harry were passed from woman to woman for hugs and kisses and pitiful sympathies and intrigued mistrust (aimed at Harry, who they'd heard was a wonderful boy, but _The Daily Prophet_ was saying differently).

Harry and Ron spent much of the day in Ron's room, avoiding relatives. Ron remained very quiet. After dinner, they were sent up to change for the service.

Harry slipped on his freshly-laundered black robe, but Ron stopped him. "Wizards wear green, mate," he said, tossing Harry a brand-new green robe. "My grandmother bought them all for us. We haven't been to a proper wizard funeral in ages."

"Why green?" Harry asked as he dressed.

"When a wizard is cremated, the flame of the fire turns a really brilliant shade of green. Wearing the color connects us to the dead or something like that. Harry …" Ron paused.

"What is it, Ron?"

"D'you … d'you think I'm a horrible git? For being so awful about Percy, when … when he was just trying to help us?"

"No! Ron, we didn't know. You had every right to be angry with him. It's quite all right, really."

"He was a prat, you know," Ron sniffled. "But he stood up for me a lot, when Fred and George would pick on me. And he always thought I'd do well, even when no one else did. And remember the Triwizard Tournament, when he thought I'd drowned? He was right happy when I was okay …"

"S'all right, Ron." Harry watched him for a moment before taking him into an awkward hug.

"Thanks, Harry." Ron's face was very pale and his eyes red, but he didn't look as if he were going to cry.

"Come on, I'm sure everyone's downstairs already," Harry said gently.

* * *

Harry was surprised at the number of people in the Weasleys' backyard. Mr. Weasley's brothers and their wives and children were there, of course, as were his parents and even his grandfather, Charles Nigellus. Of his Black cousins, only Andromeda Tonks and her husband came, which was all anyone expected, anyway. Mrs. Weasley's sister and her family were there, as well as her parents and her grandparents, Andrew and Camille Prewett. Also there were Mrs. Weasley's accountant cousin (a Squib), his Muggle wife, and their daughter Mafalda, who would be entering Hogwarts the following year. Dumbledore and many of the Hogwarts professors were present, even Snape. Harry saw Amelia Bones, a member of the Wizengamot (the wizard court Harry had had to appear before last summer), as well as many of Percy's former schoolmates, including his old girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater. She was sobbing quietly into the shoulder of a young man Harry recognized as a former Gryffindor, but whose name escaped him. Bill's girlfriend Fleur Delacour was standing off to a side by herself. Harry caught the eye of his old Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood, who gave him a solemn nod. Several members of the Order were there, including Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, and Arabella Figg. Harry stood with Hermione and Tabitha.

The Weasleys were standing in a semi-circle around a simple wooden casket. Ron stood by Charlie's side, grasping his hand. Ron looked much worse than he had before he and Harry let his bedroom. An old, stooped man with a lame leg and deep-set eyes hobbled to the casket. Harry presumed him to be Mr. Thanatos.

The sun had just begun to set as Mr. Thanatos spoke, "Percy Ignatius Weasley was a bright young man." Harry was surprised to hear a deep, calm, even melodic voice resonating from the old man. "I am proud to say that I knew him for many years, having been a good friend to Arthur and Molly. While there may have been recent tension between Percy and his family, it seemed ready to end. Family has always been the most important thing to the Weasleys, but Percy realized that all too late." Mrs. Weasley, who had been composing herself rather well, fell apart in Mr. Weasley's arms. Bill already had a sobbing Ginny wrapped in his arms. "It is a tragedy to this family, and to the wizarding world, to have lost Percy. He had great ambition and would have been a great wizard one day." Mr. Thanatos continued on for some time, but Harry's ears had started buzzing as he imagined what Sirius' funeral would have looked like, what could have been said for him.

After a while, Mr. Thanatos tapped the casket three times with his wand. On the third tap, a small red flower appeared. He laid it at the base of the casket and hobbled into the crowd.

Dumbledore took Mr. Thanatos' place. Harry saw Professor McGonagall dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief as Hagrid wiped his eyes furiously. Dumbledore looked over at Ron and gave his a solemn, supportive smile. Hermione clutched Harry's hand as they watched Ron's lip tremble and his chin quiver, finally allowing tears to flow freely down his cheeks. Hermione buried her soaking face into Harry's arm and cried loudly. Harry held her close, watching Charlie hug Ron protectively, allowing him to cry into his shoulder. To Harry's surprise, even Fred and George were leaning on each other for support, each unable to stand on his own. Tabitha put a hand on both Harry and Hermione's shoulders.

"I will not say too much," Dumbledore began quietly. "We all knew Percy. We know he was smart, ambitious, and cared deeply about his family, even if he didn't always show it. I am sorry that such a fine young man has left this world when it was certainly the better time for an old man like me to go. But while this is Percy's day, I ask that none of us forget that seventeen others lost their lives with him, and many more will follow as Lord Voldemort gains power." A soft murmuring broke out within the crowd. Dumbledore held up his hand, effectively silencing them all. "I know this is not the time to start an argument, but we must recognize Percy's death as it happened. Whether or not you believe that Lord Voldemort is back, I ask that you lower your heads in silence for Percy's fellow victims, as well as for the victims who are sure to come and—" Dumbledore glanced first at Harry, then at Tabitha. "for the victims who have been claimed but not formally recognized." Though another soft murmuring broke out at this odd remark, the crowd was soon deathly quiet. Harry silently thanked Dumbledore for providing what would probably be the closest thing Sirius got to a funeral.

After a minute, Dumbledore tapped the casket three times with his wand. He placed his gold flower on the ground, beside Mr. Thanatos' red flower.

Mr. Weasley stepped forward. "Thank you all for coming here to remember Percy," he choked out. Without another word, he also tapped the casket three times. Mrs. Weasley followed, their children and Tabitha after her. Soon, the crowd was lining up to tap the casket. The few nonmagical people present merely placed a hand on the casket and seemed to say a prayer before stepping away. Harry didn't know the spell they were supposed to use to make the flowers appear, but a flower appeared after just the three taps on the casket. He added the bud to the growing pile of red and gold.

When everyone had visited the casket, Mr. Thanatos stepped forward again. He tapped it once with his wand, and in an instant, a short, gleaming green flame enveloped the it and the pile of flowers. They watched as the flame quickly ate up everything, leaving only a pile of glowing ashes and a wispy cloud of smoke that disappeared into the dark night sky.


	19. The Secret of the Marauder's Map

****

Chapter Nineteen

The Secret of the Marauder's Map

Tea and cakes followed the funeral ceremony. Percy's family and friends sat around the Weasleys' backyard, talking softly amongst themselves. Harry was glad to hear Charlie sharply admonishing a small group of mourners who were whispering fervently and glancing every so often at Tabitha, Harry, and Dumbledore. Ron seemed embarrassed to have cried during the ceremony, but Hermione tearfully assured him that it was quite all right.

Next morning, Harry woke to the sounds of a heated argument. Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, and Hermione were huddled around the door, holding up long, rubbery, flesh-colored strings—Extendable Ears.

"Wha—?"

"Shh," George said. "We're only just barely able to make out what everyone's sa—"

"Shh, George! You just missed that bit about Tabitha."

"Bit? The whole bloody argument's about—"

"Shh!"

Harry crouched by the door. Fred handed him an Extendable Ear, and Harry gladly took it. Now he could everything clearly, not just a jumble of voices.

"—ought to get her out of this house, before Black shows up!"

"After that whole to-do with that Death Eater posing as Alastor, Dumbledore, you'd honestly endanger the children of Hogwarts with _another_ Dark teacher?"

"Now listen here, my cousin is no more a Dark witch than you, Camille Prewett!"

"Oh, as though we ought to listen to _you_, Andromeda! We know how close you were to that heathen cousin of yours before he betrayed the Potters!"

"Does _anyone_ bother to read _The Prophet_ anymore? Tabitha Black or McNoira or whatever she's calling herself these days is in league with her father, says so right in black and white. And Dumbledore and the Potter boy—"

"Don't you bring Harry into this, Edward Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked. "He's a good boy, and Dumbledore is a fine headmaster. _The Prophet_ is nothing but rubbish, it's controlled by the Ministry, and the Ministry is not quite right in the head these days!"

"Is that why Arthur still works there, Molly?"

"Out of line, Ed, my job has noth—"

"Truth is, we don't see how safe it is to welcome the girl into your home, that's all, Arthur. How well do you lot know her, anyway?"

"Allowing the enemy into your private _home_, it's just not sensible—"

****

"Will you all kindly _shut up_!" The din downstairs immediately ceased.

Fred whistled. "Didn't know she was down there with them."

"You tell 'em, Tabitha," George whispered.

"Molly, Arthur, I apologize for my mere presence causing such a problem in your home," Tabitha was saying calmly, though Harry could detect incredible fury behind her words. "Especially since there's things the family simply doesn't know."

"Tabitha." Dumbledore's voice was weary.

"I don't care if they don't believe me ."

There was a moment of silence before Dumbledore said, "I agree, it cannot hurt."

"My father," Tabitha said clearly. "Sirius Black, is not a Death Eater. He never was. He could not have orchestrated that attack on the Ministry because my father—" Her voice quavered. "My father _died_ last spring." She must have looked at Mrs. Weasley's parents. "Killed by our cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, just like your sons, Gideon and Fabian. He has been in hiding since escaping Azkaban. I—I hid him for quite some time." A sharp murmur broke out. "But! But only after Dumbledore and Remus Lupin wrote me to say that he was innocent. He never betrayed the Potters as everyone thought. That was Peter Pettigrew. He never died, it was all an elaborate hoax, a frame-up for my father. And Peter Pettigrew is _out there_, helping Voldemort." There was an audible shudder among the Weasleys and Prewetts. "Now, I know you are not willing to take my word on it, but please. You all attended Hogwarts; you know Albus Dumbledore is not the old fool _The Daily Prophet_ claims he is. You know Ron and Ginny and the twins would not befriend Harry Potter if he was a wild story-teller. You know Molly and Arthur would not trust all three of us blackened by _The Prophet_ if they didn't know, for certain, where our loyalties lie. Please, if—if only you would believe us. And tell everyone you know who reads _The Prophet _what rubbish it is. We all need to stand together now, or we're certain to fall to Voldemort."

"Well said, Tabitha," Dumbledore murmured.

"Never would have heard that without these new prototypes," Fred boasted.

"And if you please," Charlie was saying. "Don't be cruel to Tabitha, on any accounts. Bill and I have known her since Hogwarts; she's always been a great friend to us, and … and as she's a member of the family now, it'd please me much if you treated my _wife_ with a certain respect."

Mrs. Prewett shrieked, and the twins put away the Extendable Ears. "Nana's so set on seeing Bill and Charlie 'settle down,'" George said. "I bet all we'd hear now is rubbish about when Charlie and Tabitha'll start reproducing. Or more likely that Charlie ought not to have settled down with such an evil woman."

"D'you think any of your aunts and uncles will join the Order?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Doubt it," Ron said. "Dumbledore wouldn't ask anyone unless he really trusted them, right? And as I'll bet that speech didn't do too much lasting benefit—" He shrugged.

Harry and Ron spent much of the day in the twins' room, playing Exploding Snap Ginny, Hermione, Fred, and George. None of them were too keen on seeing their relatives. Harry especially did not want to be gawked at, or perhaps asked uncomfortable questions.

They would have to go downstairs occasionally to say goodbye as various people left. As Camille Prewett was hugging Charlie goodbye, Harry heard her whisper, "She is a decent cook, perhaps she isn't all that bad." Tabitha looked frightfully miserable. As the last of the family left, she and Andromeda Tonks announced they were going to St. Mungo's.

"Nymphadora's been in and out all day," Andromeda fretted. "The Healers must be right peeved with me, I must have sent seven owls at least."

"I'll be back in an hour for the meeting," Tabitha swore. "James has something very interesting to tell us."

Harry's ears perked. James? No, but certainly, she couldn't be talking about his father …

He waited anxiously for the meeting. At precisely nine o'clock, Charlie came up to the twins' room. "Harry? You coming down?"

"What about us?" the others demanded.

"Well, Mum won't be please, but … may as well try, I suppose."

The whole lot of them trouped downstairs. The kitchen windows had been blackened, and Mad-Eye Moody was muttering something, blasting each window with a jet of black light. Around the kitchen table were Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Snape, Lupin, Mr. Weasley, Hagrid, and Bill and Charlie Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was at the stove, making tea. Tabitha Apparated into the kitchen a moment later.

"Oh, good, I thought you'd've …"

"Waiting for you, dear," Charlie said.

Dumbledore nodded. "We are all here. Er, Molly?" He looked at the younger Weasley children. Mrs. Weasley sighed wearily.

"You know, Dumbledore, I try and I try, but it's no use. They can stay."

"Very good then." Dumbledore clapped his frail old hands together, and a blue mist suddenly seemed to envelope the kitchen.

"What the—?" Ron looked around in awe.

"Don't want anyone poking around or popping in, do we?" Dumbledore said with a smile. Chairs were conjured to accommodate everyone as Mrs. Weasley served the tea.

"Thanks, Molly, needed a cuppa. Yeh got any Ogden's?" Hagrid asked hopefully.

"Yes, I think we could all take a shot of that, Mum," Bill said wearily.

"Yes, indeed," the twins piped up.

Mrs. Weasley shot them a withering look. "We're of age!" Fred protested. But Mrs. Weasley was already pouring the slightest drop of Ogden's Olde Firewhiskey into the twins' mugs.

"Hey, Mum, I'm nearly of age …" Ron said hopefully.

"Ronald Weasley, dare you even test me right now …"

Ron reddened. "Sorry, Mum."

Once everyone received their tea—Ron's, Harry's, Hermione's, and Ginny's being the only ones with even a drop of firewhiskey—Dumbledore began, "This attack, now—"

"Wait, Dumbledore, Harry's got a theory," Charlie said. "Go on, Harry."

Harry looked around. Snape was sneering at him as usual; Hagrid beamed at him from behind his steaming tankard of tea. "Well, it's just, just that Fudge has been right fishy lately." He launched into his brief theory, thinking as he spoke how ridiculous it sounded.

But as he finished, Dumbledore nodded. "Something I myself thought of, Harry, very good. But Tabitha, you said James—?"

"That's just it, Professor Dumbledore," Tabitha said, pulling the Marauder's Map from the pocket of her pink Muggle sweater. Harry's heart sank slightly as he saw Snape eyeing the old parchment. It was bad enough Snape knew about Harry's Invisibility Cloak; if he knew about the Marauder's Map, too, surely Harry would not be able to get away with using either anymore.

But Tabitha did not tap the map and say, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." She clutched it to her chest and said, "I told Charlie the other night. I was sitting with Tonks, with this to keep my company while she slept, and as soon as James told me—well, I rushed over here to tell Charlie, and the next day, Harry told Charlie his theory and, oh, it just all fits, Fudge is behind the attack, we're sure of it."

She lay the map flat on the table and tapped it with her wand. "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, I'd like a word."

To Harry's immense astonishment—and to Ron and Hermione's, as he heard both of them gasp in surprise—Sirius' voice rang out clearly. "Is that you, again, Tabby?"

Harry saw Tabitha blink back a few tears before answering, "Y-yes, D-I mean, Mr. Padfoot."

"What in—Merlin's beard!" Mr. Weasley cried as four figures climbed out of the map. One was small and rather chubby, with watery eyes and a rather unimpressive air about him. Another was a meek-looking brown-haired boy. The third was tall, handsome, dark-haired, with a cocky smile. The fourth was a vision of Harry, down to the untidy hair. Only their eyes were different. It was undoubtedly …

"My dad," Harry said softly.

The figures brushed themselves off and looked around. The young Sirius smiled heartily at Tabitha before spotting Snape. "Old Snivellus," he said rudely. "I should've smelled that slimy git miles away!"

Snape seethed in silent fury. Harry could see purple blotches creeping up his neck.

"Snivellus? Oy, what'd you bring us here for, anyway, Tabby, if old Snivellus was going to be here?"

"James, er, Mr. Prongs, you've got to tell everyone what you told me the other day," Tabitha said. "This is quite important."

James sniffed. "Yeah? S'that why Snivellus is here?"

"James!" Lupin said sharply. The young Remus Lupin stared at himself.

"Oy, Mr. Moony, you're not looking well. Full moon soon?" he said.

"Shut it," Lupin told himself. "Haven't I explained enough to you lot for you to know that Severus is an ally?"

"Evidently, nothing's been said of Pettigrew," Hermione said under her breath.

The young Marauders sneered at Snape, but said no more. James looked around. "Have we got to stand on this table all day, or do we get—oy!" He stared at Harry. Harry felt as if ice water had been dumped over his head.

James whistled. "Would you look at that?" While everyone watched silently, he walked over to Harry, dropped to one knee and stared straight into his son's face.

This vision of his father had to be the same age as him, Harry thought. James seemed about sixteen or seventeen and, except for the eyes, Harry seemed to be looking into a mirror. Though he noticed that his father was built a bit more solidly in the shoulders. _Yeah, but he didn't live in a cupboard under the stairs for ten years, did he? _Harry told himself.

James laughed and looked at Tabitha and Lupin. "Weren't lying, were you? Evans really did come around? He's got her eyes, he has, that means she really did come around?" He laughed again. "How 'bout that, Wormtail, I told you she'd come around! I hope you paid me those five Galleons you promised, a bet's a bet, after all, and a friend's got to keep his word."

Harry felt a surge of anger at this. Whatever Tabitha and Lupin had told the Marauders' memories, or whatever these apparitions were (though they couldn't be apparitions; no, they were quite solid), they had apparently said nothing of Wormtail's betrayal. Harry was about to burst out until he caught Tabitha's eye; she shook her head slightly.

"Hmm." James sniffed, apparently bored with staring down Harry. "Well? D'we get chairs or have we got to stand here all day?"

Dumbledore conjured up four chairs. James settled between Harry and Ron and, to Harry's disgust, Wormtail wedged himself in next to James, who had taken to poking and prodding Harry, giggling every few minutes. Harry felt very odd, as if he should be happy to see his father, but he was getting quite annoyed by James' intense and immature inspection of him.

Young Lupin and Sirius sat on either side of Lupin. Sirius made sure he was in a prime spot to silently taunt Snape.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Well, I think we are all waiting. James."

James looked up from his intense studying of Harry's left arm. "Huh?"

"Tabitha tells us you have something interesting to tell us."

"Oh, oh yeah. That bloke," he pointed to Mad-Eye Moody. "Had us a while back. Didn't talk to us much, not like Tabby does, just used the map a few times. Left us open once, didn't he, and said something about Voldemort. Tabby tells us you lot all know who he is, of course," James said to his younger audience. "Must've learned all about it, what we're going through now, in Binns' class, I'm sure. 'Course, we didn't pay much attention to this bloke at the time, because he was also talking about fudge, and we haven't got much use for fudge, being a map, have we? Then Tabby got us back, not sure how that happened, but it was nice, as we hadn't talked to her since she was at Hogwarts. Got us filched by Filch, didn't she?" He winked at Tabitha. "S'all right, we had a couple of good owners after that, Messrs. Weasley, as I recall. Put us to good use."

"And we thank you, chap," Fred said solemnly. James and the other Marauders turned to appraise the twins. James cracked a grin.

"Just the troublemakers we'd imagined. Anyway, it was when Tabby got us back that we found out Fudge was Minister; well, didn't really click with us until we remembered what we'd heard that bloke talking about." He gestured to Mad-Eye again.

"Wasn't me, Potter," he said sharply. "An imposter. Polyjuice potion."

"All the same, thought it was you, mate," James said coolly. "Tabby said old Padfoot was getting some trouble from the Minister, and we remembered just a few nights ago, didn't we, when Tabby told us about the attack at the Ministry? Told Tabby straightaway. We were confused, mind you, when we'd first heard that bloke talking about trying to get fudge on Voldemort's side, because it seemed right odd to be talking about Voldemort and candy, but that's not what he meant, was it? He's been trying to get this new Minister on Voldemort's side. Seems like he's succeeded now, hasn't he? I'm not much on politics, myself, but I know old Milicent Bagnold'd never get in with Voldemort. Haven't got yourself much of a good Minister these days, I gather."

Snape snorted. "_This_ is the support for Potter's outrageous theory?" he scoffed.

"What theory?" James said hotly.

"Harry's theory," Dumbledore said gently. James looked at Harry and smiled.

"Right. 'Spose he's the Potter you mean these days." He leaned in so only Harry could hear him say quickly. "Hope your old dad's loaned you his Invisibility Cloak to use at school. That is how you've been able to use our old map these past few years, right?"

Harry stood up swiftly, then remembered he couldn't leave the kitchen. James stared at him for a moment and looked at Sirius. "Think he may be a bit barmy," he whispered loudly. "Might take after Charon, you know, though I hear Evans' sister's a bit wonky, maybe he takes after her."

"I do _not_ take after Aunt Petunia," Harry said hotly.

James winked at Sirius. "Evans' temper."

"Enough, James," Dumbledore said quietly. Snape was giving Harry an odd look. Harry tried not to look at him. He didn't want Snape to know that he saw it … saw what an awful git his father could be. He didn't want to admit it, that Snape had been right about the young James Potter.

"Thank you, James, that was indeed helpful," Dumbledore said. "And unless we have anymore business with you—" He looked at Harry. "Though perhaps some of that may be private?"

Harry felt his face burning with anger. "No, I haven't really got anything to ask _Mr. Prongs_ right now," he said. "Though I've certainly got something to ask _you_."

"Harry …"

"Why haven't you told them?" Harry said angrily. He looked round the table at Lupin and Tabitha.

"Told us what, mate?" Sirius said coolly, folding his arms over his chest.

"Harry." Tabitha looked him square in the eye. "We've just told them a few things, ("What things hasn't she told us, mate?") they needn't know more ("What don't we know? Is it something important?"). It's only important to them to know that the map has found its way into their children's hands, right? ("No, no, what haven't you told us?") With us, just where they'd've wanted it to end up."

Everyone watched as Harry and Tabitha stared each other down. James and Sirius looked positively thrilled. "Seven Galleons says my daughter wins," Sirius crowed.

"Only if she's as stubborn as you, you old ass, and that's not possible, so ten on my son."

"Shut up!" Tabitha and Harry yelled at once.

"Back in the map," Tabitha said irritably.

"Aw, Tabby …"

But she tapped the map harshly and said, "Mischief managed." The four figures were forcibly swept back into the blank old parchment. Tabitha folded it up. She put it back in her pocket and glared at Harry. "Forget what I said about your getting this back," she said tersely. "I am confiscating it for the remainder of my tenure as a Hogwarts professor."

"And if the Ministry has its way, that won't be for long, will it?" Harry said.

"That's worth a week of detention when we get back to school," Tabitha said sharply.

"Tabitha," Hagrid said gently. "Tha's not really—"

"_And _thirty points from Gryffindor."

Harry looked at Professor McGonagall for help. Her mouth was shut tightly into a thin line. "Professor, she can't …"

"She can, Potter. She is within her rights to penalize you and your House."

Harry looked to Dumbledore, who merely nodded his head. Snape looked as if it would be Christmas every day for a year. Harry crossed his arms angrily and glared at Tabitha.

Mr. Weasley looked at his watch. "By Merlin, look at the time. We ought to get the children up to bed, hadn't we? We'll be setting out early for Hogwarts tomorrow."

"We're going to back to Hogwarts?" Ginny said as Dumbledore removed the blue mist surrounding the kitchen.

"Of course, it's a secure meeting place for the Order, and we've got some, er, business …" Mr. Weasley trailed off.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other as they left the kitchen and said together, "Dragon," leaving the senior members of the Order looking quite surprised. Snape seemed to be rounding angrily on Charlie and Hagrid as the door shut.

Ron and Hermione looked uneasily at Harry. His jaw was set and his fists clenched over and over again.

"He's a git, just like Snape said," he seethed. "Cocky little roach, wasn't he?"

"Harry," Hermione said gently. "I'm sure he grew out of it. Your mother couldn't possibly have come around to _that_, could she? He must have changed tons before she agreed to start seeing him."

"Did you hear him?" Harry continued. "Asked if he'd given me his cloak. They don't even know what's happened to them. They don't know about that git Wormtail, they don't know my dad and Sirius've died."

"But Tabitha's right, isn't she?" Hermione said, terribly sensibly. "What good would it do to tell them?"

As Harry pummeled his pillow that night, he could only admit to himself that Hermione was right.


	20. The Guest of Honor

Chapter Twenty

The Guest of Honor

They ate breakfast in silence the next morning. Mrs. Weasley was sniffling over her kippers. Tabitha was not there; Harry presumed she was at St. Mungo's. As soon as the last bit of eggs disappeared from their plates, Mr. Weasley cleared his throat loudly. "Well," he said. "Are you all ready?"

Charlie shrugged. "I'm going to wait a few more minutes, Dad. Tabitha should be coming. But if Tonks is awake, I wou—"

As if she'd heard them talking about her, Tabitha appeared with a _pop_. She was shaking with fury.

"Those, those idiot Healers!" she sputtered, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Incompetent, thick—"

"Oh, Tabitha, nothing's happened to Tonks, has it?" Hermione cried in alarm.

Tabitha nodded savagely. "If I hadn't arrived when I did, oh, we'd be done! Everything would have been ruined, Voldemort would surely know … it's taken all morning to get through to those stupid Healers. I can't believe them, honestly …"

"Tabitha," Charlie said gently, steering her away from her rant. "_What's_ happened?"

"Confunded! The Healers left her alone with them, the idiots, the—" Tabitha called the Healers a string of awful names.

"Tonks was Confunded?" Mr. Weasley said. "By whom?"

"Narcissa and Draco Malfoy! She thought they were Professor Dumbledore and Minerva … oh, if I hadn't arrived when I did, she'd've told them everything …"

"But how'd they get in?" Ron said. "Surely not just anyone can walk in and—"

"Family," Tabitha said tersely. "Narcissa was paying her poor niece a visit, even brought Tonks violets to make it all seem sincere. They were asking her about the Order of the Phoenix. Now, I know Professor Dumbledore is Secret-Keeper, but our whereabouts is not what concerns them. They wanted a plan of attack, our reactions to the Ministry attack. Dad." Tabitha bit her lip tearfully as she looked at Mr. Weasley. "I've been thinking about it since I caught them this morning. That's the only reason they kept her alive; they know she's an Auror. They know she's related to the Malfoys, and that Narcissa would be able to get into St. Mungo's to see her. They weren't just attacking on Fudge's orders, to shut Percy up … they used it as an opportunity to put Tonks in a position to give them secrets about the Order!"

Bill's mouth opened and closed several times in shock. "If that's the truth," he said. "And it's likely, that's very likely, we'll have to keep Tonks guarded, make sure—"

"Andromeda and I have taken care of it somewhat," Tabitha said. "We've given the Healers a very precise list of who is allowed to see my cousin, and we told them that she is to be monitored by a Healer at all times. Thankfully the Malfoys aren't the only family to have St. Mungo's in their pocket. I told Healer Pendragon that my aunt and I will match any sort of bribe Narcissa Malfoy offers." Harry saw that all of the Weasleys flushed slightly at this; he thought, for one happy moment, that the Weasleys would no doubt benefit from their wealthy daughter-in-law, assuming they'd ever even accept money from her.

Mr. Weasley nodded. "Well, you'll still let Dumbledore know first thing?"

"Of course."

"All right then." Mr. Weasley beamed at his children. "Be safe, all of you. Molly and I will be at Hogwarts in a few days' time."

Tabitha handed Charlie the keys and climbed into the backseat with everyone else. Charlie and Bill sealed the front seat of the car with another Imperturbable Charm. In the backseat, Harry, Ron, and the twins played a few games of Exploding Snap. Ginny and Hermione took turns braiding each other's hair, only to have Tabitha redo each plait and show them how to braid properly. She filled them all in precisely on Tonks' current condition, which was good despite being Confunded.

"She'll be out of the hospital in a week or two," Tabitha said brightly. "Though I'd like nothing better for her to be able to get out earlier, for Christmas."

A heavy snow was falling in Hogsmeade when they arrived that afternoon. Hagrid was waiting for them with several school carriages, drawn by the lizard-like black thestrals.

Hermione and Ginny screamed as they disembarked. Ron and the twins turned white. "Oh," Hermione breathed softly. "I—these are thestrals, aren't they?"

Harry looked at them oddly. "You can see them?" he said. Hagrid and Charlie looked very concerned.

"But we—I mean, none of you saw Perce …" Charlie trailed off.

"Don' have to actually _see_ it, Charlie, yeh know that," Hagrid said. "But yeh saw … I mean, some of yeh saw Sirius." He flushed and looked at Harry and Tabitha quickly. "And now that yer brother's … well, yeh understand now, don' yeh? Understand abou' … abou' death an' all?"

"I'd rather not see them, thank you," Ginny said, a bit green. "Let's just get to Hogwarts, shall we?"

* * *

The empty castle echoed from all corners as they trudged up to Gryffindor tower. Harry had never seen Hogwarts so still and silent.

Fred and George would be staying in Ron and Harry's dormitory, in Seamus and Dean's beds. The boys left their belongings on the floor and met back with Hermione and Ginny in the common room.

"So quiet around here," George said.

"I don't like it," Hermione said promptly. "It's quite unnerving."

Just as Harry was about to agree, a deafening roar split through the room. They all raced to the window and saw, being led across the grounds, a huge, bronze-colored dragon. Prominent black ridges ran the length of its back. Even from so far away, Harry could see its glittering, amber eyes. It left a deep canyon behind it as it trudged through the snow.

At least ten wizards surrounded the beast. With one hand each, the men held tightly to a rope that was coiled around some area of the dragon's body. Their other hands clutched their wands, all pointed directly at the dragon.

"Whoa," Fred murmured.

Harry, who had faced a dragon in his fourth year, was speechless. This beast was at least twice the size of the Hungarian Horntail he'd faced, and it looked twice as vicious, too.

"I don't believe it!" Hermione cried.

"It's bloody huge!" Ron said.

"No, no, not just that. Don't you see?" Everyone stared at her blankly. Hermione sighed impatiently and looked pointedly at Ron and Harry. "Don't you recognize it? _The dragon is Norbert_."

* * *

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were already eating when Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys went down to the Great Hall for dinner. Dumbledore smiled at his students. "I'm sure you've all seen our guest of honor by now?" he said.

"Can we go down and see it up close later?" Fred asked.

"I don't see why not, as long as the proper precautions are taken," Dumbledore said. "Hagrid, Charlie, and Tabitha have been with the dragon all evening. I daresay they'll look a bit worse for the wear when they—ah!"

Harry turned around to see the three dragon-keepers trudging into the Great Hall. Tabitha was limping, and all three looked a bit scorched. Charlie was nursing a shining burn on his arm. A gash on Hagrid's cheek was bleeding into his bushy beard, but he was grinning. "Jus' as if he never left me!" Hagrid crowed. "Bless 'im, my little Norbert remembers 'is mummy!"

Harry and Ron laughed.

"How is everything?" Dumbledore asked.

"Norbert is, er … still settling in," Charlie said.

"We'll have to go back down to the grounds to see him later," Tabitha added. "But not until midnight or so. The keepers from Charlie's reserve have him under control right now."

"Can we see him?" George asked.

"Maybe tomorrow," Charlie said. "If you want to get up close, though, it'll be a few days."

"And even then, we have to be careful," Tabitha winced as she sat down.

"Should you go up to Madam Pomfrey?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"We're fine for now," Charlie said. "More hungry than anything. We've all seen far worse, considering what we do."

Professor McGonagall arched her eyebrows, but said nothing else.

"Harry, once Madam Pomfrey patches up my leg, why don't we meet for an Occlumency lesson?" Tabitha said.

There was nothing Harry would rather do less, but he consented.

He was in the common room after dinner, watching the fire with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, when Tabitha appeared through the portrait hole. Her limp was gone, and all her cuts and bruises had been healed by Madam Pomfrey.

"Ready, Harry?" she asked.

Rather than lead him to her classroom, they went to her office. Harry had seen this office four times before—under Lockhart, there had been countless photos of the professor, while Lupin kept all sorts of interesting creatures in there. Moody, or rather, Barty Crouch disguised as Moody, had kept dark-wizard detectors, and Umbridge had decorated with sickeningly sweet lace and plates of cute kittens. Now, though, the office looked like more of a second home. A big, squashy couch sat against one wall, and Tabitha's desk was piled with parchment and books. A portrait of Phineas Nigellus hung over her desk. The walls were a rich red, hung with bright paintings and a mass of photographs. The photograph that caught Harry's eye was sitting on Tabitha's desk. She was dressed in a simple white gown and veil, being held tightly by a beaming Sirius. They were laughing and playing around, giddy in each other's presence. Harry found himself smiling.

"Harry, please sit down," Tabitha said, motioning to the couch. She looked up at Phineas Nigellus' portrait. "Phineas, could you?—"

The portrait sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll find someone else to talk to." He disappeared out of the frame. Tabitha and Harry watched him walk through the other paintings in the office before finally leaving.

"Now Harry," Tabitha began. "We don't really need to practice Occlumency tonight. With everything going on, you'll still need to empty your mind before bed, but right now, I just want to apologize for snapping at you back at the Burrow. I was frustrated with the Weasleys' family, and I understood the point you were trying to make about the Marauders, but we just can't tell them everything, do you understand?"

"Why not?" Harry said. "It's not like they can do anything—"

"Exactly. They can't do anything. If we tell them half of what we know, they'll be itching to get out of that map, and they can't." Tabitha sighed. "It's—it's like the time you had Tom Riddle's diary. Dumbledore told me all about that. The Marauders, they're just memories. The last time our dads and Remus and Peter Pettigrew updated the map, they were beginning their seventh year at Hogwarts. If we were to start telling them about Uncle Peter betraying them or that our dads are both dead, it would shake them up too much. They may even turn on Uncle Peter's memory—"

"Do you really have to call him that?" Harry snapped.

Tabitha blushed. "I'm sorry. It's a habit."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't—"

"Harry, stop. We could apologize back and forth for days, okay? Forget it. The point is, we can't tell the Marauders too much about their future. We don't know what will happen. If they all turn on Peter, something could happen to the map. It may not work anymore."

"Do you really talk to them all that often?" Harry said. "How can you stomach them? They're awful gits!"

Tabitha laughed. "They are, I know. But it's so interesting to talk to them. Listening to my dad gush about my mom … they were married a few months after the Marauders last added to the map."

"Yeah? What about _my _dad?"

"Oh, so he's a little cocky. You are too, sometimes. They lived in a different time, under different circumstances. And they grew out of their cockiness. Well, mostly." She laughed again. "Sometimes, watching them together … my mum and Aunt Lily would yell at them to not act like such children in front of me!"

"I never really thought of that. You knew my mum and dad when you were young. Can you tell me about them?"

"What can I say that you haven't heard before? They were wonderful." Tabitha smiled. "Your mum used to make the best biscuits, and she loved playing with my hair. Said she wished hers wasn't such an awful color. But it wasn't. She was always so beautiful. And your dad, he used to take me out on my dad's motorbike, flying around the city. He was like a second father to me."

"I wish I could remember them," Harry said.

"I wish you could, too." Tabitha sighed. She looked at her watch. "It's nearly midnight. Would you like to go see Norbert with the others? Oh, and here." She handed him the Marauder's Map. "I won't make you serve those detentions, as long as you promise not to tell them anything."

"I promised," Harry swore.

"All right. Let's go meet the others downstairs."

* * *

The Weasleys and Hermione were in the Great Hall with Charlie when Harry and Tabitha came down the stairs. Charlie was warning them about not getting too close or making any sudden movements. "None of you could possibly hit Norbert with any spell to protect yourself if he comes at you. My mates from the reserve will be there to step in need arises, but we shouldn't have a problem. Norbert can be pretty vicious when he wants to be, but he actually has a rather sweet temperament, for a dragon. When he's being affectionate, he only snorts three-foot flames at me." Charlie grinned. "Everyone ready?"

They went outside and starting walking through the snow to the dragon-keep, which was within sight of Hagrid's cabin. Ginny and Ron looked a tad nervous about getting so close to Norbert, but the twins were thrilled. "Charlie, we read about this really great potion you can make using dragon's blood and scales. Fred and I had an idea for a new prod—"

"No," Charlie said. "Norbert is here for one purpose, and that's for the you-know-what the Order will be brewing. Norbert's not going to be happy when we start drawing his blood, so every drop we get will be precious. The only way we're going to get all the blood we need in one go is if we kill him, and we're not going to do that."

"Couldn't you have used another dragon, then?" Hermione asked. "Not that it would be particularly kind to kill a dragon just for its blood, but if it could help defeat Voldemort—"

Tabitha shook her head. "It's all very precise," she said. "Norwegian Ridgebacks have the most potent blood for the potions we'll be making, and the blood is best when fresh. If we have Norbert here and can keep him healthy, we'll have a constant supply of fresh blood around, since it has to be added to the potion at different points during the brewing period."

"Will, er, Snape be making the potion?" Harry asked.

"Not alone," Tabitha said. "I'm rather a whiz with potions, so I'll be helping him, and Dumbledore will, too. Snape's not pleased about it, but Dumbledore insists that several people help out."

"So Snape doesn't sabotage the whole thing?" Harry said.

"You're forgetting, Harry, that Dumbledore says he trusts Snape," Tabitha murmured bitterly.

Even after he let our whole family be slaughtered, Harry knew she wanted to add.

A loud roar interrupted their conversation. Everyone but Charlie and Tabitha froze, staring ahead. Not more than fifty yards away, Norbert stood, twice as big as the Dursleys' house, his wings spread out, steam rolling from his nostrils, his amber eyes staring right back at the lot of them. Ten bruised and bloodied wizards stood around him, wands aimed and ready. Hagrid stood not too far away, dripping with blood and shining with burns, half his beard singed off, but still grinning, tears running down his cheeks. He beamed at Harry and the others.

"Look here!" he cried. "My baby's home!"


	21. The Death Eater at Hogwarts

Chapter Twenty-One

The Death Eater at Hogwarts

Hagrid's "baby" reared back and shot a long column of flames in the direction of Harry and his friends. With lightning reflex, the dragon keepers, Charlie, and Tabitha froze the flames in mid-air. The ice crashed to the ground and splintered into a thousand pieces. Norbert screeched as a thin sheet of ice formed over his nostrils, but his burning breath melted it away a moment later.

"Tough little bugger," Charlie grinned. "Don't get too close now—right where you are is just fine." Hagrid didn't listen and wandered forward, transfixed by the sight of his "baby."

"I can't believe you work with these brutes, Charlie," George said. "It's a wonder you're not d—well, I mean it's pretty cool."

Harry nodded toward the wizards surrounding Norbert. "Do they know? Why Norbert's here, I mean."

Charlie shook his head. "'Course not. But they know about Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel's old work with dragon's blood, so we told them Dumbledore wanted to do more research. I think they're a bit more suspicious, but they know not to ask anything. One of them," Charlie pointed to a large, brown-haired man, "is A.J. Moody, Mrs. Figg and Mad-Eye's nephew. He's the only one who knows what we're really using the dragons for."

"Are Mrs. Figg and Mad-Eye related?" Harry asked.

"Brother and sister," Charlie grinned. "Wouldn't have guessed, huh? A.J.'s dad was their brother. He was killed by Death Eaters." Charlie lowered his voice. "Mad-Eye didn't want to let A.J. know what the Order is doing. A.J.'s uncle on his mum's side was a Death Eater, and apparently, Mad-Eye's been suspicious of A.J.'s mum ever since she married his brother. According to Dad, Mad-Eye's sure A.J.'s mum was a Death Eater herself. But I know A.J. from Hogwarts—he was a year ahead of me, in Hufflepuff—and Dumbledore trusts him."

"Charlie, what are you going to do with Norbert during lessons?" Hermione asked. "It's not like we can do much with him."

Charlie shrugged. "Observation. Tabitha will be teaching the charms most commonly used to handle dragons, and Hagrid and I will let the whole class practice them on Norbert."

"Isn't that very dangerous?" Hermione asked.

"Can be. But my mates will be around, and Madam Pomfrey has been alerted. She's not pleased. She thinks the hospital wing will be full for the rest of term with Norbert around, but we're only letting sixth and seventh years deal with him directly."

"We're going to be starting practical lessons straight away," Tabitha said.

"When will you start collecting his blood?" Hermione asked.

"He should be ready in a few days," Tabitha said. "But we won't be able to start the potions until next week. They're very tricky. Everything must be precise. But if all goes well, we'll be protected against the Death Eaters by April."

"Whoa!" Ginny jumped as Norbert roared again. He darted forward and snapped at one of the dragon keepers.

"Get them back!" A.J. Moody yelled to Charlie. But Charlie and Tabitha had already pushed their students away from Norbert.

"Hagrid, move!" Charlie yelled, blasting Norbert with the same spell as the other handlers. Hagrid, sporting a fresh burn on his arm, lumbered toward Harry.

"If you're all right without me, I'll take them back," Tabitha yelled over Norbert's roars. Charlie nodded and waved her off.

"Come on, come on." Tabitha herded Harry and the Weasleys toward the castle. Hagrid followed behind, clutching his burned arm.

* * *

When Mrs. Weasley arrived a few days later, she, along with Dumbledore, saw to it that Hogwarts was decorated for a proper Christmas. It was clear to all that her holiday cheer was entirely forced, but everyone was happy that she wasn't going to let Percy's death weigh upon her shoulders when she still had the rest of her family.

On Christmas morning, Harry awoke to a thick blanket of snow falling outside his window. Norbert was roaring down in his keep, but Harry was used to the noise by now. He saw that Ron and the twins were already up, so he got out of bed and dressed in jeans and the handmade green sweater Mrs. Weasley had given him last year for Christmas. It was beginning to feel a bit small.

He ran into Ron on the stairs. "Come on, Harry, we're going down to breakfast. All our presents are down there."

Harry followed his friends down to the Great Hall, where a Christmas tree at least fifty feet tall stood in the middle of the floor. Dozens of brightly colored presents were piled beneath it. Beside the tree was a long table, set for twenty. The gold plates and platters were loaded with eggs, ham, steak, bangers, kippers, toast, fried potatoes—more food than Harry had ever seen at breakfast, even at Hogwarts. Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Mad-Eye Moody, Mrs. Figg, Hagrid, Snape, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and A.J. Moody were sitting around the table already.

"Happy Christmas," Dumbledore said as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins sat down. He nodded toward A.J. "I don't think you all have been properly introduced yet. This is—"

"Albert Moody, Junior," Mad-Eye said, clapping his nephew on the back. His magical blue eye rolled around in its socket, first staring at Harry, then rotating back to A.J.

A.J. squirmed under his uncle's magical stare. Mrs. Figg sighed. "Stop it, Alastor, would you? You're making the kid nervous again."

"He understands," Mad-Eye said with a twisted grin. He gripped A.J.'s shoulder tightly. "Constant—"

"Vigilance, I know, I know," A.J. finished.

"I hope you don't mind that we wait to open gifts," Dumbledore said, ignoring Mad-Eye and A.J. "We are, ah, still waiting for a few people."

"Come here, all of you, and have some breakfast," Mrs. Weasley said, piling plates with food and passing them down to Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and the twins. They had only just begun to eat when the doors to the Great Hall opened.

Tabitha came in first, beaming. Behind her, Lupin and Charlie were helping Tonks walk.

"Look who was released for Christmas!" Tabitha cried.

Tonks uttered a short, restrained laugh. "More like escaped," she said through puffy lips. "We had to bribe the Healers to let me out like this." A large bruise on her right cheek had made half her face swell up. She also had a black eye, but other than that, she looked well enough to Harry.

"Tonks! Welcome back!" Ginny squealed.

"Yes, we're so happy you're all right," Hermione said.

"Best I'm here," Tonks said. "I hear I almost ruined—"

"I told you, it wasn't your fault," Tabitha said soothingly. "I never should have told you about that. Just forget it. You didn't tell Narcissa and Draco anything."

"Don't fret, my dear," Dumbledore murmured. "All is well. The dragon's here."

Tonks did her best to smile. "Good to hear it. If only we'd had that potion when—" A sharp sob caught in her throat. Lupin put his arm around her and helped her sit. "I'm so sorry, Arthur, Molly," she moaned. "I tried to help Percy when I saw them coming, I did. And Kingsley, he pushed me out of the way to help me …"

Mrs. Weasley gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Don't worry yourself sick," she said. Harry saw tears forming in her eyes, but she held them back.

"We think Fudge is working with Voldemort," Dumbledore told Tonks. "And we think Percy had proof. If that's true, then he was a target. If the Death Eaters were sent there for him, well … there wasn't much you could have done."

"He had proof of Fudge and You-Know-Who being in cahoots?" A.J. Moody asked, a curious twinkle in his eye. "What sort of proof?"

"We don't know," Mr. Weasley said hoarsely.

"Can't we drop this?" Bill said firmly. "Just today? It is Christmas, you know, and we're in the safest place in the world right now, with the one person You-Know-Who wouldn't dare touch. Can't we pretend for one day like there isn't a war breaking out?"

Snape bared his teeth in disdain. "Yes, let's just pretend all is safe and happy and—"

Dumbledore held up his hand. "Bill is right, Severus. I don't see how we can have a very happy Christmas with Voldemort hanging over our heads. After all, if we've learned anything over the last year, it's that for some of us—" He paused, the continued quietly, "For some of us, this may well be our last Christmas."

A cold shiver ran down Harry's spine, and he knew his friends had felt it, too. Ginny slipped her hand into his, and he could see that Ron and Hermione, too, were holding onto each other tightly.

No one spoke much after that. Mrs. Weasley had a very forced conversation with Mrs. Figg about gardening, and Mr. Weasley asked her what it was like to live as a Muggle. Mad-Eye's magical eye roved around the table throughout the meal, though Harry noticed that he kept it trained on his nephew much of the time. A.J. spoke to Charlie about the dragon reserve, and he asked Tabitha a score of questions about her work with magical creatures around the world. Harry found out then that she'd done a lot of work with dragons while in Asia, and that she'd nearly been killed by a manticore during her first trip into the wild, a year after leaving Hogwarts.

"That's when I decided to train to become an Animagus. Professor McGonagall helped me that summer. I was only the seventh _registered_ Animagus this century." She grinned at Harry. Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew had all become Animagi while they were at Hogwarts, but they remained unregistered, or illegal, Animagi. "I was hoping to become something big and impressive, but being a bird is dead useful," she continued.

A.J. nodded. "I don't have the patience for all that training," he grinned. "That's why my dream of becoming an Auror turned into working with dragons."

"Was it your lack of patience for the training, or your poor marks in all your classes?" Mad-Eye growled.

"Will you stop picking on him, Alastor, really," Mrs. Figg huffed.

"Isn't that what family do at Christmas?" Mad-Eye murmured.

A.J. clenched his jaw and ignored his uncle, never taking his eyes off Tabitha. Harry could see that she badly wanted to catch up with Tonks, but A.J. kept her, even going so far to hold her arm to keep her next to him. Tabitha gritted her teeth and listened to him ramble on about how he was actually a top student at Hogwarts, but that his uncle never believed he was good enough. By the end of the meal, Harry decided that he didn't like A.J. Moody very much. Tabitha seemed to share his feelings.

Dumbledore clapped his hands, and the food disappeared from their plates. A moment later, tea and biscuits appeared.

"While we sip our tea, perhaps everyone can begin to open their gifts," he said.

Harry and Ron took it upon themselves to sit beside the huge tree and pass the gifts around. Snape received only one: rare potions supplies, from Professor Dumbledore. Each of the Weasleys, Harry, and Tabitha received handmade sweaters from Mrs. Weasley. Ron loved his broomstick-care kit from Harry, and Harry loved the book of famous Seekers and their hallmark moves that Ron gave to both him and Charlie. (Ron turned red when Hermione admonished him for giving two of the same gift, but Charlie and Harry insisted it was all right.) Fred and George gave everyone their very own new—and improved—Fantastic Freezing Gun. ("Three settings, for different levels of paralysis," Fred said. "I couldn't feel my left arm for a week after Lee Jordan hit me with level three," George added.) Charlie presented Tabitha with a proper Muggle wedding band ("She wanted one even without the Muggle ceremony," he grinned), while Ron tried to quietly hand Hermione a small box with a bracelet in it, but she squealed so loudly at the lovely gift that Ron turned bright red. Harry felt a bit stupid just giving Ginny a turquoise scarf, but she insisted she loved it. She gave Harry a pair of dragon-hide broomstick gloves that promised a "perfect, no slip-grip!" on any broomstick handle, and claimed to be "ideal for any Seeker!"

After gifts were opened and wrapping paper and empty tea cups had been cleared away, Dumbledore suggested they sing carols. Only he, Fred, George and Hagrid, who had poured almost an entire bottle of Ogden's Olde Firewhiskey into his tankard of tea, were singing with any gusto, and so they dropped caroling after a lackluster performance of 'Good King Wencelas.'

The Weasley children, Tabitha, A.J., Hermione, and Harry bundled up for a snowball fight. Tonks and Lupin watched from the sides, laughing as the fight evolved into a snowball-Quidditch match. Tabitha, Fred, and George were able to duck snowballs or whack them away better than anyone else, while Charlie, Harry, and sometimes Ginny simply caught the balls and threw them at someone else. A.J. Moody and Bill kept ending up with faces full of snow.

Afterward, they all sat in Charlie and Tabitha's flat and sipped hot cocoa by the hearth until dinner, which was a much better affair than breakfast. Everyone was smiling chatting merrily, finally caught up in the joy of the season. Harry went off to bed that night smiling and stuffed full with rich holiday foods.

* * *

The rest of the Christmas holiday passed by quickly. The Order met twice, but Fred and George promised Harry and his friends that there was nothing to report to them; the meetings were all simply planning for the potion.

Norbert had adapted to Hogwarts nicely. He only set fire to the forbidden forest twice, and Hagrid was leaving meetings with him with fewer and fewer injuries, though everyone in the castle could hear the roars the day the Order first collected blood.

"Poor Norbert," Hermione had said. Soon, though, the weekly collection and the subsequent roaring were as routine for them as was waking up in the morning.

The keepers kept a very close eye on Norbert the day the rest of the school returned. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were waiting in Hogsmeade when the train arrived, pretending they'd been the first off the train. They climbed into one of the thestral-drawn carriages with Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan.

"Sorry about your brother," Neville mumbled to Ron and Ginny. "Gran read about the attack in the _Daily Prophet_ and told me all about it."

"I'm sorry too," Seamus said. "Me mam sent your parents a card, I think."

"Thank you," Ginny told both of them.

"I wonder why they sent us all home for Christmas?" Neville wondered as they neared Hogwarts. "Gran says they've never done that before, ever. Hogwarts has always been open, especially when it's the safest place from You-Know-Who."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll know soon enough," Hermione said slyly.

* * *

At dinner, Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement. The entire school hushed. "I know you are all probably wondering why Hogwarts was closed over Christmas holidays. Well, your answer is currently asleep in its keep down by our gamekeeper's cabin. For the remainder of the year, Hogwarts will be home to a Norwegian Ridgeback that goes by the name of Norbert. Sixth- and seventh-years, during your Care of Magical Creatures and Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons, you will be working closely with Norbert. Your parents have been sent owls warning of the dangers of working with such creatures, but rest assured, you are in very good hands." He smiled at Charlie, Tabitha, and Hagrid.

Harry heard Malfoy snigger over at the Slytherin table, "That oaf can't even protect us from a mad hippogriff; how can he keep us safe from a dragon?"

"With any luck, Malfoy, Norbert will have the sense to swallow you whole," Harry shouted.

"Think you're so big and bad because you faced that dragon during the tournament, Potter?" Malfoy shot back.

They were both standing now, facing off from their own tables. The rest of the Great Hall was so noisy, the teachers took no notice of them. "I could take any creature before you could, Malfoy," Harry said.

"Harry, stop," Hermione said.

"Just like you took on Voldemort? Oh, wait, you didn't." Malfoy flashed an evil grin. "Your filthy Mudblood mother took that shot for you, didn't she?"

Without realizing what he was doing, Harry leapt across the table, Malfoy the only thing in his sight. Ginny and Hermione cried out, trying to pull him back, but he was too fast. After barely a moment's thought, Ron jumped up after him.

"Ron, don't!" Ginny yelled.

Malfoy had his wand out, but Harry yelled, "_Expelliarmus!_," knocking the wand from Malfoy's hand before Harry's fist met Malfoy's face. Crabbe went after Ron, who managed to duck the blow and kick Crabbe's legs out from under him. In the meantime, Goyle jinxed Ron, who recovered quickly and shot back his own jinx. Malfoy looked at Harry with the eye that wasn't swelling shut and landed his own punch right on Harry's nose.

They were beside the Slytherin table, which was a mess from Harry and Ron's leaping over it. From years of living with Dudley, Harry was quite good at ducking punches, and so Malfoy was coming off much worse. But the fight didn't last very long; Hagrid, Snape, Professor McGonagall, Charlie, and Tabitha had jumped in to stop it.

"Stop at once!" Professor McGonagall was yelling.

Tabitha yanked Malfoy away from Harry, while Hagrid pulled Harry back. Charlie, Snape, and Professor McGonagall grabbed Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle. They were still shouting at each other.

"Good thing one of your fans was here to stop me before I really got you, Potter," Malfoy snarled.

"Shut up," Tabitha snapped, shaking him slightly.

"I could tear you apart, Malfoy. I've taken on wizards three times your age and a hundred times more powerful; I'm not afraid of some sixteen-year-old Death Eater!"

The entire hall fell silent. Harry's throat felt tight with the realization of what he'd just said.

After a long silence, Snape said quietly, "Are you making a formal accusation, Potter?"

Harry didn't know what to say. He stared at Malfoy, who, behind his sneer, actually looked terrified. Tabitha was clutching his shoulder so tightly her knuckle was white; the look on her face told Harry that she had not been allowed to tell him Malfoy and his friends were Death Eaters.

"Well?" Snape pressed.

"Severus, please," Dumbledore said, walking toward them from the staff table. "Harry is simply guilty of an, ah, emotional outburst. He wasn't really accusing Mr. Malfoy of being a Death Eater. Were you?" Dumbledore fixed Harry with an intense stare. Harry knew Dumbledore was using Legilimency to tell him to agree, but Harry was smart enough to realize it on his own.

He shook his head violently. "No. No, I wasn't accusing Malfoy. I meant …" He smirked at Malfoy. He couldn't resist. "I just meant I could take on the _son_ of a Death Eater."

At this, Malfoy tore out of Tabitha's grasp and slammed Harry against Hagrid. He raised his fist to punch Harry, but Tabitha pulled him back by his collar, making him gag as the robes bit into his neck.

"That is quite enough!" Professor McGonagall screeched. Her nostrils were stark white and flared in her anger. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, you are in _serious_ trouble."

"Tabitha, Hagrid, please bring Draco and Harry to my office," Dumbledore said. "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Goyle, I am docking each of your houses twenty points and giving you all two weeks' detention."

Harry's heart sank. He thought of all the points he'd be losing Gryffindor, and he was for sure looking at twice the amount of detention Ron and the others got.

"I'll be up in a moment," Dumbledore said. He wouldn't look at Harry. Tabitha and Hagrid led Malfoy and Harry out of the hall. No one spoke until they were gone.

"You'll pay for that, Potter," Malfoy muttered under his breath.

He suddenly tripped and fell forward, flat on his face. Harry stifled a laugh. Malfoy stood up and glared at Tabitha. "You stepped on my robes," he sneered.

"Oops," Tabitha said, shoving him onward.


	22. The Return of Dumbledore's Army

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Return of Dumbledore's Army

Harry went into Dumbledore's office first while Malfoy stood outside with Tabitha and Hagrid. He sat in the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, waiting and worrying. Fawkes was sleeping on his perch when Harry walked in, but now he gave Harry a puzzled look.

"I've done it, Fawkes," he said. "I've messed up badly."

He heard Dumbledore come in and walk quietly to his desk. He sat down across from Harry and sighed heavily. His face looked very thin and worn under his beard, and his blue eyes were practically dull.

After a long, silent moment, Harry blurted out, "I'm sorry. I know that was very stupid."

Dumbledore drummed his long, thin fingers on the desk. "I simply do not know what to say, Harry. Fighting is one thing, though you should know by now not to give in to Draco Malfoy's bait. But your accusation-- " Dumbledore sighed again. When he spoke, he couldn't hide his anger. "Do you know, Harry, that if you had said that fifteen years ago, I would have been forced to arrest Mr. Malfoy and turn him over to the Ministry for trial? On a mere accusation! Harry," Dumbledore's voice softened, "who told you Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater?"

Harry looked down. Tabitha would get into a lot of trouble, but Harry wasn't about to lie to Dumbledore. "Tabitha," he said. He added quickly, "But it was an accident, I swear. She didn't mean to tell me."

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course she didn't. But she did." He stood up and began pacing around his desk. "You two are both too headstrong and impulsive. I feel like I'm teaching your fathers again." He paused to stroke Fawkes' feathers. "You need to keep yourself in check, Harry. Draco Malfoy now knows that we know he is a Death Eater. He isn't a stupid boy. He'll guess that we've been keeping a close watch on him."

"I'm sorry, sir, really." Harry didn't think he could feel more awful than he did at that moment.

"Eighty points from Gryffindor," Dumbledore said.

"Is that all?" Harry turned red. "I just meant, I thought-- "

"I'm disappointed in you, Harry. I only hope that will start to put a little thought behind your actions."

Harry lowered his head. He wished Dumbledore would just let him leave.

"Send Mr. Malfoy in. And tell Tabitha I want a word with her."

"Yes, sir."

Harry shuffled out of Dumbledore's office. Tabitha was standing in the corridor gripping Malfoy's wand arm tightly. He was wincing in pain. Hagrid was standing across from them, glaring at Malfoy.

"Dumbledore wants Malfoy," Harry said. "And then he wants to speak to you," he told Tabitha.

She nodded. "I'll go then," Hagrid said. He and Harry began to walk away from the office as Malfoy went in.

"I'd've knocked the stuffin' outta him, too, Harry. Yeh done good, far as I'm concerned," Hagrid said after a moment. "Did yeh see? He's already got a face fulla black an' blue."

Harry could hardly take comfort in that fact. "I shouldn't have let him get to me," Harry said. "And now I've gone and gotten Tabitha in trouble."

"Tabitha wasn't supposed ter tell yeh abou' Malfoy. 'Course, I've tol' yeh stuff before that were top secret, so I can' blame her much. Come on down to me hut, we'll have some tea an'-- "

"No, that's all right, Hagrid. I should probably go back to Gryffindor tower and get some sleep. I'm going to be busy with homework and Occlumency and Quidditch, and now detention-- "

"And the, uh, well …" Hagrid gave Harry a sharp look.

Harry groaned. "And now the DA, too," he said. "Good night, Hagrid."

"Right, best rest up fer tomorrow's class with Norbert. G'night, Harry."

Harry groaned again. How had he forgotten about having class with that beast? He turned into another corridor and ran up to Gryffindor tower.

* * *

Hermione, Ginny, and a handful of other Gryffindors were waiting for Harry when he climbed through the portrait of the Fat Lady. 

"Bloody brilliant, Harry," Danny Flanagan squeaked. "Me brother used to get into fights, but none so exciting!"

"You're not banned from Quidditch, are you?" Katie Bell asked anxiously. "We can't beat Ravenclaw without you."

"Is it true, Harry? Is Draco Malfoy a Death Eater?" Dean Thomas asked. The room got quiet, the same frightening quiet Harry heard in the Great Hall during his fight.

"Of course not, it's rubbish," Hermione said sternly. "Harry was just angry and blurted out whatever stupid thing came into his head. Now, come on, leave us alone so we can talk." She shooed everyone out of the common room. "Come on, Ginny and I are both prefects, and we need you out!"

Everyone left grudgingly. Ginny and Hermione sat down on the sofa with Harry.

"Where's Ron?" he asked.

"Asleep," Ginny said.

"He's not angry with me, is he?"

"He shouldn't be. You didn't ask him to jump into that fight. I think he's just a bit sore from taking on Crabbe and Goyle while you were pounding Malfoy's face," Hermione said. She sighed. "That was really stupid, Harry."

"I know!" Harry snapped. "Listen, I've already heard it from Dumbledore, okay? And I'm sure I'll hear it from Tabitha, and Charlie, and McGonagall, and Ron's mum and dad—"

"Calm down," Ginny said. "What punishment did Dumbledore give you?"

"Eighty points from Gryffindor."

"That's all!" Hermione cried.

"You're lucky it wasn't much more than that," Ginny said.

"I know. Believe me. Please, just let's leave it at that, all right?"

Hermione and Ginny both pursed their lips; Harry knew they wanted to say much more, but he was glad they didn't.

"We've got DA lessons to start soon," Harry said softly. "Tabitha's taught me a bunch of new curses and jinxes to start off with. We need to let all the old members know we're starting lessons again soon."

"I'll make sure everyone knows," Hermione said.

"And we have to be careful letting new people know," Harry said. "After what Tabitha told me about Malfoy and his mates—"

"It's true? Are they really Death Eaters?" Ginny asked.

Harry nodded grimly. "Tabitha's in trouble with Dumbledore. She wasn't supposed to tell me."

"Well, I'll be careful," Hermione said. "Only old members, and maybe a few new ones that we know can be trusted. When are we going to start meeting?"

Harry shrugged. "I'll have to ask Tabitha," he said.

* * *

The following day's Care of Magical Creatures class was anti-climactic. Harry's class was only allowed to observe Norbert from a distance of five hundred feet, because Charlie said Norbert would have to get used to everyone before he would let them get closer. 

Though Harry still felt awful about starting a fight, he could barely suppress his laughter when he saw Malfoy the next day. Harry had only a small bruise on his cheek, but Malfoy was sporting a shiny black eye and a dark, puffy bruise below a split lip. He tried to give Harry a menacing look, but his features were practically indistinguishable beneath the swelling. Pansy Parkinson was fawning over him, making sure he was comfortable.

"Good job," Ron muttered to Harry when he saw Malfoy. He had escaped Crabbe and Goyle's curses pretty much unscathed, but Harry had seen the two brutes earlier that day, and Crabbe was limping from the hard kick Ron had landed on his shins.

"You didn't do too badly yourself," Harry said.

"You two shouldn't be too proud of yourselves," Tabitha said, not even bothering to look up as they passed by her desk. "Mr. Potter, we need to talk after class."

"Might as well get it over with," Harry muttered.

The lesson dragged on. They were learning theory out of the book; Tabitha absolutely forbade them to even practice the powerful spells without a thorough base knowledge.

"Dragons are powerful creatures," she said. "I had to train for three months before I worked in the field with them; you'll be meeting a Norwegian Ridgeback face-to-face in just a few weeks. At least you'll be under controlled circumstances."

After class, Harry stopped by Tabitha's desk. As soon as the last student he left, he blurted out, "I'm sorry."

"I know, Harry. That was an unfortunate outburst, but I know it was accidental. I never should have told you about Malfoy. Now," she said. "The DA."

"What about the fight?" Harry cried.

Tabitha looked at him blankly. "What about it?"

Harry was so frustrated he could just yank out his hair. He thought back to his third year, when he accidentally inflated Uncle Vernon's sister Marge and was personally excused from using magic outside of Hogwarts by the Minister of Magic himself. That was back when everyone thought Sirius had escaped Azkaban to kill him.

"Dumbledore only took eighty points from Gryffindor," Harry said. "That doesn't seem fair. Not that I think Malfoy should get off any easier, but—"

"You are learning, aren't you? You're right; it's _not_ fair. You started a fight with Malfoy, and you get off with a few points shaved off your houses. Meanwhile, he and his friends are going to spend the next two weeks scrubbing every inch of this castle clean, without magic, and they lost more points than you and Ron. Believe me, none of us is pleased about this. You deserve the same punishment as Malfoy, but the truth is, you haven't got the time. Occlumency and the Defense Association are far more important. But as far as Malfoy—and Snape—are concerned, you and Ron are serving detention with Hagrid."

"You're not taking away Quidditch, or _anything_?"

Tabitha smirked. "You really are dying for some punishment, aren't you?"

"I just feel really guilty about starting a fight and … and getting you in trouble with Dumbledore."

Tabitha waved her hand. "It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

"But—"

"Harry, any other time, a fight like that would have been grounds for expulsion. But with Voldemort taking control of the Ministry, and Death Eaters taking any opportunity they can to take advantage of us, we need to be prepared. The DA lessons and your Occlumency lessons are far more important than any detention we could make you serve, but you need to promise to keep your head in the future. Ignore Malfoy. Now, get out of here. I'll see you after dinner for Occlumency."

* * *

Harry held the first DA meeting one week after his fight with Malfoy. Last year, they'd held meetings in a secret room called the Room of Requirement, but Malfoy and his friends knew about the room, and Dumbledore didn't want to take the chance that Malfoy would happen upon them and find out what they were up to. Instead, everyone met in Charlie and Tabitha's flat on the sixth floor. 

"'The Weasleys?'" Parvati Patil read as she and Lavender Brown were let in by Ron. "Your family doesn't live at Hogwarts, does it?" she asked Ginny.

"It's Charlie and his wife's flat," Ginny answered.

Parvati and Lavender's faces fell. "You mean your brother is _married?_"

Tabitha walked in from the kitchen with a cup of tea. "He certainly is. Go on, girls, everyone's in the sitting room."

Parvati and Lavender whispered furiously as they walked toward the sitting room. "She isn't his wife, is she?" Lavender hissed.

"She isn't _that_ pretty," Parvati said.

Tabitha rolled her eyes. "Petty little things, aren't they?" she said to Ginny.

In the meantime, Harry was in the sitting room, which was emptied of furniture and was quickly filling with new and old members of the DA. Even Cho Chang, Harry's crush from last year, was there. At precisely eight o'clock, Tabitha, Ron and Ginny entered the room. Harry glanced at Cho as Ginny sidled up to him and squeezed his hand. He felt some satisfaction when he saw Cho looked away.

"Portrait's closed," Tabitha said. "The knight won't let anyone in until I tell him he can. Are you sure you're ready?"

Harry looked around. There were nearly forty people in the room. He nodded. "We're good, Tabitha."

"Okay. Charlie and I will be in the kitchen. I'll let you out in one hour."

"Let us out?" Terry Boot said. "But isn't the door—"

Suddenly, the room was encased by the same blue mist Dumbledore had created in the Weasleys' kitchen after Percy's funeral. It covered the walls and doors, so they were trapped in an imperturbable blue cocoon. Some of the students touched the mist, trying to push through it.

"What is this?" a third-year Hufflepuff asked.

"Insurance that no one else can get in," Hermione said.

"Or out," the Hufflepuff squeaked.

"Well, that too," Hermione said. "All right, most of you were with us last year. We're as top secret as ever, even without Umbridge around—"

"Because Draco Malfoy's a Death Eater?" someone asked in a hushed voice.

Hermione looked at Harry uncomfortably. Harry cleared his throat. "Well, uh," said. "The truth is, I haven't got proof or anything that Malfoy and his friends are Death Eaters, but I do know their fathers are."

"How do you know that?" said a familiar voice. Harry winced; it was Zacharias Smith, who had opened his big mouth to question Harry far too many times last year during DA meetings.

"Because I saw them," Harry said. "The night Voldemort"—there was a shudder around the room—"came back, and again, last year, at the Ministry of Magic, when we"—Harry indicated himself, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood—"were attacked by a whole group of Death Eaters."

"You were attacked by Death Eaters?" Danny Flanagan said, awestruck. "And you all _survived?_"

Harry tensed up; Ginny put her hand on his arm. "Yeah, _we_ did. Some people weren't so lucky," he said. "Listen," he continued. "I know a lot of you read the _Prophet_, and they've been printing rubbish about me again. Me, Dumbledore, and Professor McNoira—"

"Is she really Sirius Black's daughter?" Susan Bones asked.

Harry nodded. "But Sirius wasn't behind that attack at the Ministry before Christmas, and Tabitha had nothing to do with it, either."

"How can you be sure Sirius Black had nothing to do with it?" Zacharias Smith taunted.

"Because Sirius Black is dead!" Harry yelled. The room hushed.

"Did—did he die at the Ministry of Magic last year?" Parvati Patil asked quietly.

"We are not here to talk about Sirius Black," Harry said through gritted teeth.

"But how are we going to be prepared for anything if we don't have any idea what's going on out there?" a burly-looking seventh-year Ravenclaw demanded. "And you seem to have all the answers, Potter, so you should let us know."

"Harry doesn't have to tell you lot anything," Ron said. "You're here to learn defensive spells, and that's all."

"That _isn't_ all," Zacharias Smith said. "I'm with Ted; either you tell us all, or we're leaving."

"No one's keeping you here!" Ron shouted.

"Oh, really?" Ted the seventh year said, tapping the blue mist. Ron turned red.

"What Ron means," Hermione jumped in, "is that you don't need to know everything we know to learn these spells. It might be easier if you don't know."

"That isn't true," Luna Lovegood said dreamily. She was drawing patterns in the blue mist with her fingers. "You should always know who your enemies are."

Harry sighed. "The thing is, I _can't _tell you lot everything. And I can't tell you why I can't."

"Tell us what you can," Dean Thomas implored.

"Yes, Harry, so we at least know what's coming," Padma Patil, Pavati's twin sister, said.

Harry looked at Hermione. Her manner at once became very brisk. "Before Harry says anything," she said, "you all have to sign this." She held up an ordinary-looking piece of parchment labeled 'Dumbledore's Army,' the other name for the DA. "I'll warn you this time—there are a number of terrible jinxes on this parchment. Once your name is on it, you cannot breathe a word of the DA to anyone outside of this room. The DA exists during this one hour, one night every week. Every other time, you have never heard of the DA, do you all understand?" Everyone nodded, though a few new members looked terrified. "Anything Harry tells you must be kept completely secret, and he needn't tell you everything. If you can't handle this, Harry will get Tabitha, and she'll let you out. She'll probably put a Memory Charm on you as well, so you won't remember being here tonight. Does anyone want to leave?" The room remained quiet. "Good. Now form a line to sign the paper."

The line snaked around the room. One-by-one, the students signed the parchment. After they signed, Hermione handed them an enchanted Galleon. "These will warm up and flash the date and time of each meeting every week. Don't spend these; if you lose it, that's it. If you miss a meeting, it's your own fault."

Once everyone had signed, they turned an eager ear toward Harry. He launched into a quick history of his encounters with Lord Voldemort, as all of the new members and many of the old didn't know half of what he'd done in his life. He told them about the Sorcerer's Stone and how he defeated a basilisk; how Sirius Black had been framed by Peter Pettigrew, who was alive and had facilitated Voldemort's rebirth; how he and his friends faced Voldemort and Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic, how Sirius died before his name could be cleared. He didn't tell them about the prophecy connecting him and Voldemort, nor about the top-secret potions the Order would be brewing. He didn't let them know there was such a thing as the Order of the Phoenix.

A lot of people murmured sympathies to Harry over losing Sirius, and to Ron and Ginny about Percy. But …

"What about that attack at the Ministry?" Ted demanded. "If Sirius Black wasn't behind that, who was?"

"We don't know for sure," Harry said, "but we think it was Fudge."

"The Minister of Magic himself?" Zacharias snorted. "The _Prophet_ said the attack was aimed at him."

"It wasn't," Ron said firmly. "It was aimed at my brother, because he had information about Fudge's connection to You-Know-Who."

"And at Nymphadora Tonks. She's an Auror," Ginny said. "And she's Draco Malfoy's cousin. They attacked her and tried to get information about the O—"

"Ginny, shh," Harry said.

"What? What are you keeping from us?" Ted asked.

"It's one of those things you just can't know about," Harry said. "But Tonks is on our side, and Malfoy was using her to get information."

"Are you all satisfied now?" Ron asked. Ted and Zacharias nodded grudgingly; everyone else seemed to have been satisfied with the little information they began with.

With only fifteen minutes until Tabitha would be lifting the imperturbable mist, Harry paired old members of the DA with new members. They practiced the spell to disarm, the very one Harry used against Malfoy the week before. Neville had gotten very good; his speed and aim were impeccable.

"It's the new wand," he beamed when Harry told him how well he was doing.

Wands were flying through the air when the blue mist suddenly lifted. Michael Corner's wand struck a photograph of Charlie. It fell to the floor, shattered glass everywhere.

"Sorry, Professors," his partner, Terry Boot, said as Tabitha and Charlie rushed in. "I lost concentration when you-- "

"It's all right," Charlie said. "My ugly mug ought not to be framed up anywhere."

"Stop it," Tabitha laughed, swatting his arm. She flicked her wand at the frame and broken glass, and the picture flew back up onto the wall, unscathed. Hermione and Ginny began leading people out in groups of five, so as not to arouse suspicion of anyone who could be walking in the corridor.

"Uh, did you leave something out, Harry?" Ted asked, distracted by Charlie and Tabitha.

Harry shrugged as he pushed Ted out with the last group of five. "Didn't you read the door? Figure it out yourself."


	23. Slytherin Versus Gryffindor

Chapter Twenty-Three

Slytherin Versus Gryffindor

For the next few weeks, Harry was busier than ever. Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw easily in their first Quidditch match after the holidays. Harry and Tabitha continued Occlumency and their one-on-one DA practice sessions, and the DA met every week in Charlie and Tabitha's flat. After the members left, Harry would tell Tabitha how everyone was progressing so they could plan the following week's lesson.

Harry had almost forgotten about the article in the _Daily Prophet _about Tabitha and Sirius until that first DA meeting. If the _Prophet_ was printing any more stories about the supposed Black alliance against the Ministry, Hermione wasn't saying anything, and Tabitha never mentioned it during all the time Harry spent with her in the evening.

It wasn't until the end of February that Harry heard about it again. It was a Saturday morning, and most of the students hadn't come down to breakfast yet. Hermione was eating a piece of toast when the owls came in to deliver mail and one dropped a _Daily Prophet_ right onto her, knocking the toast from her hand and into a jug of milk.

"Oh, dar-- oh, no!" she cried.

"It's fine," Ron said, fishing the toast out of the milk. "Just a bit soggy now."

"No, not the toast-- look!"

Ginny moved closer to Hermione, and Ron and Harry leaned over the table to read the paper in Hermione's hand. "Oh, no," Ron murmured.

The front page screamed, _Ministry Has Proof Blacks Behind Christmastime Attack!_

Hermione began reading the article out loud,

"_The _Daily Prophet _ first reported over two months ago_

_ that Azkaban fugitive Sirius Black was the prime suspect_

_ in the attack on the Ministry of Magic that left eighteen_

_ dead and thirteen wounded. Due to lack of evidence, the_

_ Ministry was forced to put aside the investigation. Now,_

_ Minister Cornelius Fudge tells the _Prophet_ in an exclusive_

_ interview that the Ministry has received information linking_

_ Black, as well as his daughter, Dark Arts expert and Hog-_

_ warts professor Tabitha McNoira, to the brutal attack._

_ Narcissa Malfoy, Black's cousin, told the _Prophet_ that her_

_ niece, injured Auror Nymphadora Tonks, fingered Black_

_ and McNoira in the attacks while she was still recovering_

_ at St. Mungo's. 'I thought dear Nymphadora was out of_

_ her head,' Mrs. Malfoy sniffled to the _Prophet_. 'My son_

_ Draco and I were so worried about her. But last week,_

_ while Draco was doing some voluntary clean-up around_

_ Hogwarts, he came across a letter addressed to Tabitha_

_ from my cousin Sirius.' Mrs. Malfoy went on to say that_

_ the letter detailed how and when Black and McNoira would_

_ attack. The Ministry has stepped up efforts to find Black,_

_ who is believed to be hiding out with the help of his daughter._

_ The Ministry has also said it will look into claims that Hog-_

_ warts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Black's godson,_

_ Harry Potter, played a part in the attack. In the meantime,_

_ the Ministry has demanded that Dumbledore remove_

_ Professor McNoira from her post until this matter is re-_

_ solved. 'I don't want that monster teaching my son and_

_ his classmates,' Mrs. Malfoy said."_

Hermione threw the paper down. "Rubbish!" she cried. They looked up to the staff table, where Tabitha was furiously jabbing at Charlie's newspaper. Around the Great Hall, the handful of students who regularly received the _Prophet_ were finishing the story. Some were members of the DA, who looked over at Harry, horrified. Most of the others were Slytherins, who were laughing and patting Malfoy on the back.

A moment later, a fresh swarm of owls flew into the Great Hall. Students just coming in for breakfast watched curiously as the owls dropped letters onto Dumbledore and Tabitha.

A few moments later, bright red Howlers began exploding in their laps, screaming their messages for all to hear.

"--WILL NOT TEACH _MY_ CHILDREN-- "

"--SHOULD BE ASHAMED TO HAVE HIRED SUCH A HORRID-- "

"--ARRESTED AT ONCE! GET HER OUT OF HOG-- "

"--COME TO HOGWARTS MYSELF TO GET RID OF YO-- "

Tabitha threw the growing pile of letters to the ground and ran from the Great Hall, Charlie following close behind. Harry saw Malfoy smirking.

"Look at him," Harry growled. "I could just--"

"Harry," Ginny said warningly.

"Let's get out of here before I start getting Howlers about my supposed part in the attack," Harry said. He and his friends stared menacingly at Malfoy as they left. Malfoy just smirked, faint yellow traces of a bruise still encircling his right eye.

* * *

They went up to Tabitha and Charlie's flat. Tabitha was pacing around the sitting room, shaking with fury.

"I could punch him myself, the little beast!" she was yelling. "Making up some letter between me and my father … the Malfoys know perfectly well that Dad is dead. They--oh, you don't think they actually have a letter? Something Narcissa fabricated?"

"No," Charlie said. "I don't think they've gone that far. You-Know-Who's got the Ministry playing out of his hand, and the Ministry has always controlled the _Prophet_. It says whatever the Ministry tells it to, and I'll bet Fudge isn't blinking these days unless You-Know-Who approves it first."

"Tabitha, Dumbledore won't let you be shoved out--" Harry said.

"And why not? You heard those Howlers; the parents want me out, and they're only going to keep sending letters saying so."

"But members of the DA know you're innocent!" Harry cried. "They'll convince their parents--"

"What? What does the DA know?" Tabitha said sharply.

Harry looked down. "I only told them what we think, that Fudge is working for Voldemort."

"Harry. Harry, Harry." Tabitha dropped heavily into an armchair, her head in her hands. "What else do they know?" she asked.

"Nothing," Harry swore. "I told them about all the times I've faced Voldemort, and that we fought the Death Eaters last year. They know Sirius is dead and that Fudge was behind that attack at Christmas."

"Harry didn't tell them anything important," Hermione said. "They don't know about the Order, or why Norbert's here … just what they needed to know to be prepared. And if they repeat anything Harry told them with malicious intent, they … well, they won't be able to speak again for some time." She turned bright red.

"What kind of a hex did you put on that parchment?" Ron asked.

"Oh, you know … pus-filled boils on the soles of their feet, temporary, er, disappearance of the mouth …"

"Hermione!" Tabitha said.

"I was just trying to be careful!" Hermione said.

Tabitha shook her head, but she was smiling. "I suppose they're trustworthy though, eh?"

"They're scared," Hermione said. "They believe us, but I don't think they want to. Shouldn't they at least know what we're preparing them for?"

"It's all right, Hermione," Charlie said. "And Tabitha, everything will go all right. Dumbledore won't let the Ministry sack you, no matter what it takes."

* * *

Tabitha stayed in her flat for the rest of the weekend, while the Great Hall was pelted with more letters and Howlers demanding her removal. Harry wasn't sure if it was the nonstop influx of angry letters and exploding Howlers, but Dumbledore was beginning to look even more haggard than he had already been lately. Harry told himself to ask Hagrid or Tabitha if Dumbledore was all right, but with the chaos the _Daily Prophet_'s article brought to Hogwarts, Harry barely remembered his own name, let alone to ask about Dumbledore.

A few Slytherins were sure Tabitha's absence around the castle that weekend meant she was gone already, so Malfoy's face fell when he walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts on Monday and saw Tabitha there. He scowled during the entire lesson.

Tabitha taught with renewed vigor, demonstrating the proper way to deliver a stunning spell to a dragon. She promised they would be practicing on the real thing soon with Charlie and Hagrid. She took nearly one hundred points from the Slytherins throughout the lesson for their refusal to pay attention to her. Harry saw her clenching her fists, so tightly her knuckles were turning white, but she didn't lost her cool once.

She took Harry aside after class and explained that Dumbledore had written all Hogwarts parents over the weekend and explained why he would not be sacking her.

"I'm still getting letters, of course," she said. "Lots of them. But Dumbledore won't let me go, and I'm not about to let all this get to me. Too stubborn," she smirked. "And since I can't exactly slug Malfoy ... besides his being a student, I know one well-placed punch could kill him"--Harry smiled, remembering how she'd dented that bludger-- "and as much as I hate the little worm, I'm not willing to get sent off to Azkaban for him. You'll get him on the Quidditch pitch for me?"

Harry grinned. "I don't know how much I can do, but I can tell Danny Flanagan and Jamie Doyle to send a few bludgers his way."

* * *

Gryffindor was to play Slytherin the following Saturday. The week leading up to the match was the longest in Harry's entire time at Hogwarts. Every minute, owls swooped in and out of just about every window, dropping letters all over the grounds. Some letters praised Dumbledore and Harry for their efforts to stop Lord Voldemort before he regained power; most condemned the pair for perpetuating lies that only served to frighten the community at large. And then there were the ones about the Blacks. Though he heard Howlers exploding in every corridor at all hours of the day and night, Harry could not quite get used to the irate voices screaming horrible things about Sirius and Tabitha.

Saturday finally arrived, and Harry was more determined than ever to beat Malfoy. The rest of his team, who said they believed Harry and not the _Prophet_ or Malfoy, seemed just as determined.

There was a mixed roar when the Gryffindor team walked out onto the Quidditch pitch. Their fellow Gryffindors and most Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were cheering as loudly as they could; Harry also saw an unusually large number of non-students sitting in the stands. Parents and Hogwarts siblings from all houses were there, some of them cheering for the Gryffindor team-- and Harry-- along with their children. Others, like the Slytherins, were booing Harry and anyone else who dared look their way.

"Ignore them," Harry yelled to the rest of the team.

"They won't _hurt_ us, will they?" Danny Flanagan said, looking terrified.

"Just hurl a bludger their way," Ron said. "I hope our beaters won't be too scared to play," he muttered to Harry.

"They'll be fine," Harry said, suddenly noticing the extra protection that had been put into place around the pitch. There were four referees stationed around the pitch on broomsticks, including Tabitha and Charlie. Over the din of the stadium, Harry could hear Norbert roaring in his keep.

"I heard Charlie telling Hagrid there's going to be extra protection around Norbert now," Ron whispered to Harry as he, too, noticed the referees flying around. "I don't think anyone's very worried that You-Know-Who knows what the Order's planning, but they can never be too careful, eh?"

Harry nodded absently. The sounds of the stadium became a dim rush in his ears when he saw Malfoy and his team stroll onto the pitch. A moment later, they were in the air and the game had begun.

Within five minutes, the Slytherin team fouled Gryffindor three times, and Jamie Doyle was sure to return the favor by sending a bludger right at Crabbe, who was too slow to knock it away. The bludger hit him right in the chest and knocked him off his broom, but Charlie was nearby and managed to stop him from hitting the ground. He grudgingly awarded Slytherin a penalty, which Francis O'Brien blocked without a problem. After that, the game paused for a few minutes until Crabbe could lumber back onto his broom, and both Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch gave Jamie a stern talking-to about sportsmanship. When they weren't looking, Harry and Ron gave their new beater a thumbs-up.

The game only got more vicious. Once, just as Harry spotted the snitch fluttering under Ginny Weasley's broom, playing was paused again because a Slytherin chaser and Katie Bell collided mid-air, which resulted in a shouting match between the chasers on both teams.

After the fourteenth penalty of the game was awarded to Slytherin (after only fifteen minutes of playing), Madam Hooch threatened to call the match a draw and award every Gryffindor and Slytherin player a week's worth of detention. Amid jeers from the crowd, the teams promised to behave.

Five minutes later, no more fights had broken out nor penalty shots awarded; the score was sixty to forty, in Slytherin's favor. Harry had not seen the snitch since Katie's collision with the other chaser. He was distracted by the increasing roar of the spectators. He tried to drown them out. _Just get the snitch, _ he told himself. _Just get the snitch and end this game. _Katie scored a goal and narrowly avoided a bludger hit by Goyle.

Malfoy was flying closer and closer to Harry as the game continued. As Ron scored another ten points for Gryffindor, evening the score, Malfoy edged even closer and whispered viciously, "What, did Weasley spend all his life savings to buy himself an ounce of talent this year?"

"Why, you want to buy some yourself?" Harry said.

"Watch it, Potter."

"Or what, you'll make up some new story for the _Prophet_?"

If Draco had begun to reply, Harry didn't hear it. He spotted the snitch hovering just above the ground near the Gryffindor goal posts. He sped off toward it, feeling Malfoy just behind him. The crowd was on its feet, louder than ever. Ron scored another goal before all attention turned to Harry and Malfoy.

They were shoulder-to-shoulder, the snitch just inches away. In disbelief, Harry watched as both he and Malfoy closed their fingers around the tiny gold ball, each of them grasping a different wing. They tugged it back and forth, so caught up in their struggle that they flew too low and were tossed to the ground when their broomsticks collided. Harry held onto the snitch with all his might, but so did Malfoy. As they were tossed off their brooms, they ripped the wings off the snitch and the little ball dropped to the ground, flightless.

As the rest of their teams and the referees landed around them, Harry and Malfoy untangled themselves from their robes and looked around madly for the snitch. They noticed it at the same instant, just feet away, and they dove toward it, landing in a heap.

Harry felt his fingers close around the ball as Malfoy clawed at his fist. Struggling under Malfoy, Harry raised his hand as high as he could to show that he got the snitch first. The crowd went crazy.

Harry tried to stand, but he was knocked over again when Malfoy punched him in the stomach. Hunched over, Harry couldn't see as Malfoy raised his fist to punch Harry again, nor that the rest of their teams had seen the punch as an invitation for a free-for-all. Katie Bell and Ginny Weasley were holding their own against a couple Slytherin chasers, and even Danny Flanagan, Jamie Doyle, and Francis O'Brien looked brave taking on Crabbe and Goyle.

Before Malfoy could deck Harry again, Ron hit him with a stunning spell. By the time Harry caught his breath, Ron was brawling with the Slytherin keeper and Malfoy had recovered from the stunning spell. Wands and broomsticks lay scattered around the teams, all but forgotten.

Harry launched himself at Malfoy, ready to refresh the bruise that had only just faded from Malfoy's sneering face. The snitch was at his feet, forgotten. The article from the _Prophet_ was foremost in Harry's mind. Malfoy was going to pay this time.

All around the teams, the referees were trying to put an end to the fight, but the players were in such a tangle, the referees hardly knew where to direct their spells. And the crowd was emptying onto the field; some were content to watch the fight, others were with the referees trying to stop it, and still others saw fit to join in.

Dumbledore was ambling down to the pitch slowly. "Stop!" he yelled weakly. He held up his wand to help the referees' efforts to end the brawl.

Harry aimed well on his last punch, getting Malfoy right in the jaw. Even with his glasses hanging broken and askew from his nose, there was no mistaking what Harry saw on Malfoy's forearm as he was knocked down and his sleeves billowed up.

Malfoy covered it quickly, but Harry wasn't the only one to have seen the Dark Mark there, imprinted like an evil tattoo on Malfoy's arm. A few spectators saw it and immediately began to panic. Most of the brawling stopped. Harry heard a few students muttering, "So it _is_ true!" People in the crowd who were too far back to see anything that was going on began to pick up on the horrified muttering among those who were watching the fight.

Just in time, Dumbledore pushed his way to where Harry and the others were. He was chalk white. Harry felt more ashamed than he ever had before. He may have just revealed that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater, but at what price? He'd disappointed Dumbledore again. He opened his mouth to apologize to the headmaster, but Dumbledore took one more step forward and collapsed.


	24. A Nice Pair of Woolen Socks

Chapter Twenty-Four

A Nice Pair of Woolen Socks

"Well."

Harry looked up as Tabitha walked into her sitting room. Ginny and Hermione were on the couch beside him, pale and wide-eyed. A bruise was forming along Ginny's temple where one of the Slytherins had hit her. Ron was nursing bleeding knuckles and a split lip in one of the armchairs. Harry was ignoring the pain in his chest that he suspected was a cracked rib. They had been waiting there for hours, since Tabitha sent them up just after Dumbledore collapsed.

"Is Dumbledore all right?" Hermione asked urgently.

Tabitha sat down. "He's with Madam Pomfrey," Tabitha said, sounding as though she were choosing her words very carefully. "Professor McGonagall hasn't said much yet to the staff. We're … waiting."

"Is he going to be all right?" Harry asked.

After a long moment in which Tabitha became very interested in the hem of her skirt, she said shakily, "I don't know." She collected herself and added briskly, "This is not to be discussed with anyone outside of this room, understand? It's imperative that the rest of the school thinks Dumbledore just had some sort of spell. As it is, the _Daily Prophet_ is going to have this all over its front page. This is very dangerous."

"And what about Malfoy?" Harry said. "I wasn't the only one who saw that mark on his arm. A lot of other people saw it. Isn't that going to make the _Prophet_?"

Tabitha shook her head. "Harry, you know the _Prophet _is with the Ministry, and the Ministry is with Voldemort. Besides," she added, tossing a piece of parchment toward him, "now Malfoy has more protection than ever."

Harry read the parchment quickly.

_Tabitha,_

_ Just heard word of Professor Dumbledore. I reckon half_

_ of Britain knows by now. Sorry to say, I've got worse news._

_ Got to Azkaban just now to take my post guarding the prisoners_

_ and found the place a shambles. Three Aurors dead, three_

_ more barely made it to St. Mungo's, and the Death Eaters_

_ imprisoned last spring are gone. Haven't alerted the Ministry,_

_ as per Dumbledore's orders to keep anything of this sort quiet._

_ Tell Minerva for me; I'm at the ready if you need me at Hogwarts._

_ Your favorite cousin._

"They've escaped again!" he said.

"I just received that from Tonks," Tabitha said quietly. "The escape happened after Dumbledore collapsed."

"Someone alerted them," Harry said. "Someone alerted the Death Eaters!"

Tabitha took a deep breath. "Dumbledore had nothing more than a spell, you understand? He will be at breakfast tomorrow morning, looking healthier than ever. The rest of the wizarding world will think he is perfectly fine."

"Won't he be?" Ginny asked.

"I told you, I don't know."

"So how will he—?"

"Tonks," Harry said. Tabitha nodded.

"Tonks?"

"The Professor Dumbledore you see at breakfast tomorrow morning _is _the real Professor Dumbledore, all right? If he acts oddly—" Tabitha smiled. "Well, more so than usual, it can be explained somehow. But as far as your classmates know, he's not ill."

"We understand," Hermione said.

"Good," Tabitha said. "I can't underscore enough how important this is."

"But Tabitha, I can't understand how Malfoy can just walk away after so many people saw his forearm! They know what that means!" Harry cried.

"Is not fair, is it Harry?" Tabitha yelled. "Well, it's going to stay that way. And it's only going to get worse as long as Voldemort's around. Face it, Harry, right now, there are very few people standing behind us. They would rather believe that everything is just as it was after Voldemort disappeared. They don't want to face the idea that Voldemort may be back, because it seems so unbelievable. And with Dumbledore— " Tabitha stopped herself and lowered her voice. "I just mean, we know the truth. We will tread lightly around Malfoy, keep our eyes on him … but that's all we can do right now." She sighed.

"What about punishments for the fight?" Harry asked.

"The fight. Ah, yes, Harry and Ron, your second fight this term. Luckily for you, Professors McGonagall and Snape have decided not to give anyone a detention. But both teams have lost one hundred points each for their houses … and both have been suspended from Quidditch for the rest of term."

Harry wanted to protest, and he could see Ron did, too, but he knew better. Tabitha had no control over their punishments, and besides, Harry knew they deserved what they got. Nonetheless, he dreaded returning to the common room.

* * *

That night, Hermione and Ginny seemed to want to discuss Dumbledore's collapse and the subsequent escape of the Death Eaters, but all Harry wanted was to sleep. Luckily, no one from the Quidditch team was hanging around the common room to ask about their punishment. He and Ron trudged up to the dormitory to find Seamus, Dean, and Neville still awake, discussing the Quidditch match.

"D'you reckon Dumbledore's all right?" Dean said.

"He is," Harry said quickly.

"How do you know, Harry?" Neville asked.

"Tab— er, Professor McNoira just told us."

"Are you in loads of trouble over that fight?" Dean asked. "I mean, it's your second this term."

Harry glanced at Ron. "We've been suspended from Quidditch for the rest of term," he said. "The whole team has. Slytherin and Gryffindor won't have a chance at the cup this year." Dean, Seamus, and Neville groaned.

"I suppose, though, that's not as important as what else happened?" Dean asked eagerly.

"What do you mean?" Harry said.

"Well, we didn't see it," Seamus said. "But we heard that Malfoy— well, that he's got the Dark Mark on his arm. Is it true?"

Harry looked at Ron again. After a moment, he said, "No. It was a spot of mud, is all. Someone must have been seeing things and started a rumor." The other boys looked very disappointed. "I've got to go to bed," Harry said. Without another word, he closed the curtains around his four-poster.

Laying in bed, he tried not to think of everything that was happening. He had to clear his mind. He fell asleep staring blankly at the ceiling.

* * *

Though Tabitha had said they would see Dumbledore at breakfast the next morning, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were still surprised to walk into the Great Hall and see Albus Dumbledore sitting at the staff table, laughing, eating, his face full and healthy, looking better than he had all term. Students in the Great Hall were already chatting about well he looked, wondering what could have made him seem so ill the day before.

"Tonks is very good, isn't she?" Hermione whispered, sitting across from Harry. He glanced up at the staff table. Even Dumbledore's nose was perfectly crooked.

"She is," he said.

The Great Hall was nearly full within twenty minutes, and Tonks stood up, her pale blue Dumbledore eyes twinkling. "I hope you are all pleased to see me," she said in Dumbledore's soft rumble. "And I hope you will forgive all the excitement I caused yesterday. As for the other excitement of the day." Tonks paused to look at Harry, then toward Malfoy. "I'm sorry to say that both Slytherin and Gryffindor have lost their Quidditch privileges, as well as one hundred points each."

There was a loud groan from both the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables, while Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw chattered excitedly about their boosted chances of winning the Quidditch Cup. Tonks raised her hand, and the hall quieted down.

"There will be a trip to Hogsmeade village in two weeks. If you wish to go and have the appropriate permission slips, sign up with your heads of houses by the morning of the trip. Now, enjoy your breakfasts."

Ginny sighed happily. "The trip to Hogsmeade should be good. Get away from all this dreadful stuff for a day, right?"

* * *

The next two weeks went by very slowly. The sixth and seventh years had their first lessons with Norbert. To Harry's surprise, only four students ended up in the hospital wing with burns. And according to Charlie, the potions were going well; the Order had only one month left before the first batches would be ready.

Harry held two more DA lessons, where he was peppered with questions about the Dark Mark on Malfoy's arm. He reluctantly explained it away as he had with his mates.

Tabitha kept Harry as up-to-date as she could on Dumbledore's condition; she said he was resting in his flat, with a private healer from St. Mungo's always at his side. For the time being, Tonks' disguise was working. Even the _Daily Prophet_article about Dumbledore's collapse became much less sensational when Tonks spoke to a reporter and assured the paper that Albus Dumbledore was in good health.

Finally, the day of the Hogsmeade trip arrived. Harry and his friends promised not to speak of Quidditch or Dumbledore or the Order; they wanted to enjoy a worry-free day in the village, sitting in The Three Broomsticks with steaming mugs of butterbeer.

They went into Zonko's Joke Shop first, but they didn't buy anything. The Weasley's Wizard Wheezes display was the same as it had been on their last trip, though a sign promised new inventions by May. "Wonder what they're working on," Ron said, pointing to his brothers' sign.

They went to Honeyduke's next, where they each spent a small fortune on sweets. They had just left Honeyduke's when Hermione pointed out a new shop. "'Mademoiselle Malkin's Muffs n' Stuff: Robes and Accessories.' Oh, let's do go in." Ginny followed her eagerly.

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes, but went along, anyway.

The shop was small and cozy. A fire roared at the far end, where a pretty young witch sat knitting. Above the fireplace behind her was a family portrait. Harry recognized the mother as Madame Malkin, who owned the robe shop in Diagon Alley, and it was the daughter knitting the scarf that Hermione was now admiring.

"This is lovely," she purred, stroking the dark pink wrap. Ginny murmured in agreement.

"Only four Galleons," Mademoiselle Malkin told Hermione. "Six with the matching hat." She indicated the cap lying beside her.

Ron rolled his eyes again at Harry, though he seemed to become interested in a soft blue sweater. "Nicer than Mum's," Harry heard him mumble, though he turned green upon seeing the price.

Harry wandered the shop aimlessly until Hermione bounded toward him, wearing the scarf and cap. Ginny was beside her in her own blue scarf. "Ready to go?" they asked.

"Sure." As Harry headed towards the door, he noticed hanging upon the wall a pair of large, thick woolen socks. "I'll catch you up," he told his friends.

"We'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks," Ron said, leaving with the girls.

With great care, Harry took the creamy white socks to Mademoiselle Malkin. "My favorite pair," she told him. "I've never knitted more perfect socks. See the toes? I can never seem to get them right, but theses ones … they are eight Galleons, you know. Just for the pair."

Harry handed her the gold. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_." Mademoiselle Malkin wrapped the socks carefully and passed them to Harry. He held them to his chest tightly as he left the shop.

"What'd you buy, mate?" Ron asked as he joined his friends at the Three Broomsticks.

"Just something for Tabitha," Harry said quickly. "I think her birthday's soon."

"Really? Right near mine?" Ron asked. "I can't believe I'm seventeen already. I can get my license to Apparate this summer, before all of you!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I've been seventeen for ages, Ron. Did you forget that? I plan on getting my license this summer as well."

As Ron chatted furiously about Apparition, Harry kept one hand on his package, thinking about Dumbledore. In his first year, Dumbledore had told Harry that his greatest desire was a nice pair of woolen socks. Harry had been sure then that Dumbledore wasn't being entirely honest, but he couldn't shake the feeling he had now that Dumbledore still would appreciate these socks.

Harry and his friends bought some butterbeer to drink on their way back to the castle. Harry wasn't paying attention to what Ron, Hermione and Ginny were saying, or if they were even talking to him. When they reached the front hall, Harry separated from them.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione said.

"Yes, fine, I've just got to … to give this to Tabitha." He hurried upstairs, leaving his friends in a bewildered state.

He had just reached the stone gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office when he realized that Dumbledore did not necessarily live there as well. Maybe he'd find Tabitha after all; she'd know where Dumbledore lived.

Just then, the gargoyle opened up and Professor McGonagall stepped out. "Mr. Potter," she said, surprised. "Can I help you?"

"I wanted to see Professor Dumbledore," Harry said. "But I wasn't sure—"

Professor McGonagall smiled sadly. There were deep lines around her eyes. "Come along, Potter." She led Harry to the sixth floor, to a corridor past Tabitha and Charlie's flat. They passed Madame Pomfrey a moment later.

"Oh, Minerva," she said. She looked at Harry. "Are you bringing Mr. Potter to see Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey. How is he?"

"Awake, and anxious to get out of bed, but I will not allow it. He needs to save his strength. He seems to be doing much better today than yesterday, but I will still watch him, you can be sure of that. He thinks he's still a man half his age. I left him a potion, be sure he finishes it."

"Thank you, Poppy, I will." Professor McGonagall led Harry to the sixth-floor corridor where the dented suits of armor stood listlessly, their swords and scythes hanging at their sides. Around the corner, past the painting of the doe, was a painting of a large, dark cypress tree and a field of red poppies. A great white dove flew in and out of the painting, finally resting on a branch of the tree. The bird looked at Harry and Professor McGonagall with large, dark eyes. "Fizzing Whizbee," Professor McGonagall said. The dove cooed, and a door without a knob of any sort appeared in the wall upon which the paiting hung. Professor McGonagall tapped the door with her wand three times, and it opened up slowly.

Harry followed Professor McGonagall through the flat, which was just as full of interesting things as Dumbledore's office. They ended at Dumbledore's bedroom, where Harry could see the headmaster lying in his bed through the half-open door. A half-drunk potion sat beside him.

"Professor Dumbledore, I've brought someone to see you. And Madame Pomfrey would like you to finish that potion. I'll leave you and Mr. Potter alone." Professor McGonagall closed the door behind Harry.

Dumbledore didn't look any better to Harry. In fact, he looked much worse than he had the day he collapsed. Harry was almost afraid to ask how the headmaster was feeling, but he did.

Dumbledore sighed, a shaky, wheezing sort of sound. "As well as I can feel, cooped up in here," he said. "But Madame Pomfrey and the healers at St. Mungo's insist. My healer's off brewing me another potion to drink." He looked at Harry gravely. "You started another fight with Draco Malfoy."

"I'm so sorry, Professor," Harry said. "I wasn't thinking. I should have been, I know, but I wasn't. I let him get to me."

Dumbledore nodded. "You need to learn to keep your head, Harry. That is the most important thing I've learned over the years. If you keep your head, you will always have an advantage over your opponent. What's that you have?" he said, noticing the package in Harry's hand.

"Oh." Harry suddenly felt embarrassed. What was he thinking, socks? Surely Professor Dumbledore didn't desire these more than anything. With some hesitation, he handed over the package. "A gift for you," he mumbled. "I saw them in Hogsmeade and thought you may like them."

Professor Dumbledore unwrapped the package carefully. He stared at the creamy white socks for a moment, then held them in his thin hands, turning them over and admiring them. He stroked the soft wool, and Harry squirmed uncomfortably when he noticed tears welling up in Dumbledore's eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Potter," he said softly. "This is the greatest gift I've ever received."

"Oh, Professor, really …"

"No, Harry, really. You remember what I told you about what I would see in the Mirror of Erised."

Harry smiled. "I thought of that day as soon as I saw these."

Dumbledore grasped Harry's hand weakly. "Thank you," he said.

Madame Pomfrey and a dark-haired man dressed in the uniform of a St. Mungo's healer walked in. "Mr. Potter," Madame Pomfrey said. "It's nice to see that you want to visit with Professor Dumbledore, but he needs his rest. Come now, out."

"I'll see you, Professor," Harry said.

"Remember, Harry— keep your head," Dumbledore said. Harry nodded. As walked out of the flat, he heard Dumbledore asking Madame Pomfrey to help him slip on his new socks. Harry grinned.

* * *

Back in the Gryffindor common room, Harry joined Hermione in watching Ron and Ginny play a game of wizard's chess. They ate their sweets from Honeyduke's and even started some of their homework for Monday. After Hermione and Harry each had an unsuccessful go against Ron at chess, the four of them decided to go to bed. Harry drew the curtains around his bed and thought of Dumbledore.

He was having a strange dream. Hagrid was brewing the Order's potions outside by Norbert's keep. The dragon suddenly became out of control. AJ Moody tried to blast Norbert with a Stunning spell, but the spell went awry and blew up the cauldrons containing the potions.

Just as AJ was stumbling toward the destroyed cauldrons, Harry felt someone shaking him awake. "Ron, get off …" he mumbled.

"Mr. Potter, please get up," came Professor McGonagall's sharp voice. Harry opened his eyes immediately. Ron was in the bed next to him, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Come down to the common room," Professor McGonagall said softly.

After she left, Harry put his glasses on and gave Ron a funny look. "What d'you reckon she wants?" Ron yawned.

"Maybe it's got something to do with the Order," Harry replied.

Hermione and Ginny were sitting, half-asleep, in a pair of armchairs. Professor McGonagall was sitting stiffly across from them. Harry and Ron flopped down on a small sofa. The four students yawned in unison.

"Something wrong, Professor?" Hermione murmured sleepily.

"I'm afraid there is, Miss Granger." McGonagall's eyes welled up. She dabbed at them with a handkerchief. "Professor Dumbledore died this morning."

Harry's head was still in a cloud. He didn't think he'd heard her correctly. "Sorry, Professor?" he yawned.

"He died just over an hour ago." Professor McGonagall sniffed, and continued to dab her eyes.

"I—I don't believe it," Hermione said softly. Her eyes began to fill with tears as well, and Harry saw that Ginny had already begun crying. Ron's mouth was gaping.

"Died?" he said with disbelief. "But—but it's _Dumbledore_."

Harry was thinking the same thing. He though Dumbledore would always be there … leading the Order, protecting Harry from Voldemort … Dumbledore couldn't be dead, Professor McGonagall had to be mistaken … Harry had just seen him yesterday …

"What I am about to tell you is very important," Professor McGonagall said. "_No one _is to know what's happened, do you understand? As far as the other students are concerned, Professor Dumbledore is alive and well. Nymphadora Tonks will continue masquerading as the headmaster. You understand the importance of this, I hope? If Voldemort receives even the tiniest inkling that something has happened—"

"We understand," Ron said softly.

"Good," Professor McGonagall said. "I'd like you all to meet at Charlie and Tabitha's flat after dinner tonight. The Order will be there to discuss … to discuss funeral plans." She dabbed at her eyes again and left them in the common room, still reeling with the news.

Hermione got up from her chair and curled up next to Ron, crying into his shoulder. Ginny looked at Harry with concern. "Harry? Do you need to …?"

Harry didn't hear anything she said. He just stared.


	25. Shaken

Chapter Twenty-Five

Shaken

"Harry, please say something," Ginny said.

But Harry didn't know _what _to say. Dumbledore couldn't be dead. He had seemed just fine yesterday--ill, but not near death.

Harry didn't realize what he was doing until he felt Ron pulling him back. "Harry, Harry, where are you going?"

Blinking, Harry saw that he was about to climb through the portrait-hole. He back down and returned to his seat on the sofa. "I--I need to see for myself. If I just go back to his flat--"

"Harry, what are you talking about?" Hermione said.

"I was there yesterday, talking to him. He can't be dead!"

"Professor McGonagall wouldn't lie to us," Ginny said gently.

"But I don't know what to do without him," Harry said. "He was keeping us all safe from Voldemort. He's saved my life and kept me from getting into trouble loads of times … what, what am I supposed …" He looked around wildly.

"Harry, Harry!" Ginny cried, pinning him against the back of the sofa. "Harry, calm down. You're not lost; none of us is. Professor McGonagall and the other members of the Order won't let anything happen to us. They'll keep us all as safe as Dumbledore did." Ginny, however, did not look entirely convinced by herself.

"I just can't believe it," Harry said softly, looking down at his hands. His friends sat beside him on the sofa quietly and, one-by-one, they fell asleep there, all except Harry. He stayed awake, staring at the announcement board, listening to his friends' deep, slow breathing.

A little after dawn, Danny Flanagan, Jamie Doyle, and Francis O'Brien bounded down the stairs from their dormitory with a handful of friends. "Hi, Harry," his teammates said cheerily. Their initial gloom over suspension from Quidditch had faded when they were assured by Professor McGonagall that their positions would still be theirs the following term.

"You're up early … or did you sleep out here?" Danny Flanagan said, noticing Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

"We were, uh, up late," Harry said.

"Okay, well, see you at breakfast then!" Danny cried. He and his group trotted out of the common room merrily. Hermione stirred as the portrait-hole closed.

"Oh," Hermione murmured. "We fell asleep out here, didn't we?" She yawned. "Oh … I've just remembered. I … I thought maybe it was a terrible dream."

"It wasn't," Harry said shortly.

After a moment, Hermione said, "Maybe we ought to get dressed and go down to breakfast. We're supposed to act as though everything were normal." She nudged Ginny and Ron, and she and Ginny went toward the girls' dormitory.

Ron looked at Harry to say something, but Harry stopped him. With a forced smile, he said, "He's not dead, remember? Everything is normal." He walked to the dormitory, leaving Ron to scramble behind him, wondering just what was going through Harry's head.

The truth was, there was a lot going through Harry's head. He couldn't get much of a grasp on most of what he was thinking, but Sirius kept making his way to the forefront of Harry's mind.

Losing Dumbledore would be so much easier if only Harry had Sirius. Harry just wanted to hear his voice, his familiar laugh.

As he slipped on a shirt he hadn't worn in months, a piece of parchment fell onto his bed. Glancing at it, Harry realized it was the Marauder's Map. "Oh!" he cried.

"What is it, mate?" Ron said.

"Nothing, never mind," Harry said, shoving the map into his pocket as his other mates began to wake. "Ready?"

* * *

The Great Hall was as bright and animated as usual. Up at the staff table, only a handful of teachers looked less than cheery. Harry assumed most of them still thought Tonks was Dumbledore.

It was odd, seeing Dumbledore in the Great Hall when Harry knew it wasn't really him, that the real Dumbledore was cold and quiet somewhere, his death a tightly guarded secret.

Harry did not want to go to his classes, but Hermione insisted. Only Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew why Hagrid spent the entire Care of Magical Creatures lesson sniffling and bursting into tears every ten minutes. Finally, Charlie, who was able to act as though nothing had happened, halted class and led Hagrid into his hut. He emerged a few minutes later, alone, and resumed the lesson as if nothing had happened. Harry could hear Hagrid wailing and hiccupping as he likely drank a tankard of firewhiskey.

During Defense Against the Dark Arts, Tabitha, like Charlie, remained composed. She didn't hesitate to take fifty points from Slytherin when she caught a wild-eyed Malfoy whispering furiously to Pansy Parkinson, and when Malfoy was about to protest, Harry saw Tabitha deliberately but casually roll up her sleeves and brush her bare forearms toward Malfoy. It only took a moment to do, but Malfoy understood the intent and clamped his mouth shut. He knew there was still a whisper around the school that someone had seen the Dark Mark on his arm.

While Harry was half-asleep with Dean Thomas in Divination, Ron was in Potions. To Harry's surprise, Ron told him later that Snape seemed very unnerved during his lesson that afternoon. He dropped three vials and accidentally added pixie wings when he was supposed to add crushed nogtail hooves. He didn't take so much as a point from Gryffindor when Neville's potion turned a thick blue rather than a soupy red; he didn't even mutter something nasty under his breath.

"But wait, mate," Ron said. "It gets weirder."

Crabbe, Goyle, and some other Slytherins started throwing beetle eyes around the room. An eye landed squarely between Snape's eyes as he turned from Ron's cauldron. He lunged toward Crabbe and grabbed him by his robe. "Enough!" he screamed. "Twenty points from Slytherin." He threw Crabbe back into his seat and knocked Goyle's cauldron over, spilling the potion all over the Slytherins. A thick fur grew all over their exposed skin.

Ron said the entire class was silent and absolutely still as Snape turned around. "Get back to work!" he barked. The Slytherins begged to be sent to the hospital wing, and Snape waved them off. Everyone else was afraid to speak for the rest of the lesson. When the bell rang, Ron ran as fast as he could to meet up with Harry.

"I can't believe that," Harry said.

"Can't believe what?" Hermione said, joining them from the direction of Arithmancy. Ron told her quickly what had happened.

"I wonder why he's so shaken up?" Hermione said.

"Well, it's obvious," Ron said, lowering his voice. "Dumbledore's the only reason he's in the Order, and the only reason he's still at Hogwarts. No one else trusts him like Dumbledore did. He's probably afraid he's going to get chucked from school, maybe even chucked from the Order."

"It's still strange. You'd think he'd be a bit more composed," Hermione said, frowning.

"Let's go clear out the common room so we can talk about it."

"I can't," Harry said quickly, remembering the Marauder's Map in his pocket.

"But Harry …"

"Listen, I'll see you all at dinner. I, er, have something to do right now." Without another word, Harry bolted toward the seventh floor, toward the Room of Requirement. The corridor he needed was thankfully empty. He stared at the blank wall across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. He took a deep breath. "I hope this works," he muttered.

He walked back and forth three times, thinking with all his might, _I need to see my dad and Sirius. I need to see my dad and Sirius._

A door appeared in the blank wall. Looking around and finding the corridor still empty, Harry let himself into the room, expecting to find it empty, perhaps with three chairs for himself and the two Marauders he planned to summon from the map.

To his shock, the room wasn't empty.

Two men were sitting at a chess board, staring intently at the quivering little pieces. The older, dark-haired man with the thin face laughed, a bark-like sound. "Got you! Checkmate!"

The younger man, who looked remarkably like Harry, only several years older, threw a knight at the other man. "You have a few years on me now, is all."

"Didn't have chess in Azkaban, mate." There was a bitter tone to the man's voice. He looked like--but it couldn't be true. Harry took a step forward.

The men looked up. There was no mistaking that they were James Potter and Sirius Black, but how was this possible?

"There he is," James Potter whispered. "My Harry, all grown up." He stood and began walking toward Harry cautiously. "My boy," he said, extending a hand toward Harry. Harry instinctively pulled away. "I can't hurt you," James said quickly. "I can't even touch you, in fact. See?" He waved a hand right through Harry's head, but, unlike the icy feeling one got when touching a ghost, Harry felt nothing. "We're not ghosts, or preserved personalities like the ones I'm sure you've found in that map," he said, pointing to the parchment in Harry's hand. "In fact, I don't know what we are. Only that you needed us, and we're here."

"Like the time you came out of my and Voldemort's wands and saved me?"

James smiled. "Yes. I remember that. And look at you--you've grown since then, yes? How long has it been?"

"Two years," Harry said, distracted by Sirius, who was still sitting at the chess table, fiddling with a bishop. "Sirius," he said.

Sirius looked up. "Harry."

James nudged his son toward Sirius. "Go on," he said. "I know you probably need to talk to him more than to me."

Harry walked toward Sirius, and they stared at each other for some time. Finally, Sirius looked away, tears in his eyes. "How could I have done that to you, Harry? Falling through the veil like that? When you needed me? I could have stopped myself, I could have done something … I was just so surprised … Harry, I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," Harry said. "I know you wouldn't leave me on purpose."

Sirius looked guilty. "I didn't feel guilty until just now, when I saw you. I'm happy where I am, you know. I'm with your mum … and your dad."

"And Professor Dumbledore," James said.

Harry looked at his father. "That's why I wanted to see you. Both of you. I thought I could just talk to the map … just hearing your voices would be enough. But to see you both here …" He was too overwhelmed to continue. He could hardly believe he was standing here, talking to his father and Sirius … not just memories of themselves at sixteen, but the men themselves, as they were when … when they died.

"Sit down," James said, and Harry watched as three chairs appeared beside the chess table. He sat down across from James and Sirius. "You feel alone now, don't you?" He sighed. "There isn't anything I can say to you about that, except of course that you have your friends, and your cousin, Tabitha. By all accounts, you know, we shouldn't be here. Like I said, I don't know _how_ we're here, talking to you, especially when our words won't do anything to help you. But we couldn't be happier to be here."

"Do you need to ask us something?" Sirius said. "Is that why we're here?"

Harry shrugged. "I … I don't know. I just don't know what to do now, without either of you, and now without Dumbledore …"

"You have us, though," James said. "See? Just when you needed us, we were here. And we don't actually have to be _here_ to be with you. D'you know what I mean?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah. I only wish … well, I only wish I could touch you."

James smiled sadly. "Believe me, Harry, all I want right now is to give my son a great big hug. I still remember holding you when you were a baby."

"I really haven't got anything to say," Harry said. "But I don't want to leave you, either of you. I'll never see you again, will I?"

"Not until you die," Sirius replied. "But don't let that hang over you. You have plenty to do and see before that happens. Live the life neither of us got to."

Harry looked at the chess table. "Can we play? My friend Ron's been teaching me since our first year; I think I'm quite good now."

James grinned. "All right. Let's have a go."

Harry didn't know how much time had passed while he sat there with James and his father, playing chess and laughing as he listened to their stories from their years at Hogwarts. Harry was glad to hear that James had stopped being such a git in his seventh year because he was madly in love with Lily Evans and knew she would never bother with him if he kept acting like such a bully. He said being Head Boy also helped straighten him out a bit, though the position also made it easier for him to break the rules with Sirius and Peter Pettigrew.

They told Harry about Laura Potter-Black and the rest of the Potter family. Harry found out that he and James actually took after James' uncle, Tabitha's grandfather, and that James had had an older sister. Harry was happy to learn all about his family, but at the same time, he was disappointed he'd never be able to meet them.

Harry was laughing at a story about his grandfather and an enchanted bicycle when something flashed in front of him and a red-and-gold feather landed in his lap. He held it up. "Fawkes," he said softly.

Sirius and James looked at each other. "You're wanted, I suppose," James said. "We've kept you longer than we should have."

"No," Harry said. "I can't leave you, not now. Like you said, I won't see you again until I d--"

"Harry," Sirius said softly. "You can't stay in this room forever with your dead father and godfather. Go on. Haven't you got an evil lord to destroy?"

"But--"

"I'm sorry, Harry. I love you," James said.

"I love you, Dad!" Harry cried, but James and Sirius had vanished, and so had the chess table and all the chairs. Harry stared at the feather on the ground, then glanced at his watch. Dinner had been over for nearly an hour; it was a surprise anyone waited this long to get him.

He looked back into the empty room once before walking out the door. He went downstairs to the sixth floor and tried to let himself into Tabitha and Charlie's flat.

"No entry," the knight said. "The door can only be opened from the inside until the Professors Weasley tell me otherwise!"

"Can you go get Tabitha then?" Harry said. "I'm supposed to be in there."

The knight gave an exaggerated sigh. "All right, I'll go see if the scraggly Potter boy's allowed in." He disappeared behind the frame, and came back a moment later. "Okay, you can go in!" he snapped. The portrait swung open. Tabitha was waiting at the door.

"Where have you been? We've been so worried," she said, shutting the door behind them.

"I was just thinking. I wanted to be alone."

Tabitha nodded. "I understand. Come in. We're nearly done, though." As they walked toward the sitting room, Tabitha whispered, "Did you hear about Snape's meltdown? He's in the hospital wing right now …"

"What? Wh--?"

"Harry! Oh thank goodness, I was so worried," Mrs. Weasley said, hugging him tightly. "Dreadful, dreadful. I can't even believe it. Here, sit, sit." She pushed Harry onto a sofa with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

All the Weasleys were there, as were several members of the Order--Mad-Eye Moody, Mrs. Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Tonks, Professor McGonagall, AJ Moody. "Well, Potter, you missed most of what we've been going over about secrecy," Mad-Eye Moody began.

"I understand," Harry said. "No one's to know Dumbledore's dead; just us here. Everyone needs to think Tonks is Dumbledore."

"Tough shoes to fill," Tonks said sadly, playing with a lock of bright pink hair.

Mad-Eye nodded at Harry. "Which means Albus can't get a proper funeral."

Bill Weasley shook his head. "It's a shame," he said. "Dumbledore deserves the greatest funeral a wizard can get."

"But since that is not possible at this point," Professor McGonagall said, "we'll be having a very small, private ceremony in his honor. Tomorrow night, everyone is to meet in the Great Hall just before midnight. At midnight precisely, we are sealing off the room until we're done. Tabitha and Charlie will escort you downstairs," she told Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "And, I'm sorry to say, tomorrow night will be last anything is said of Albus Dumbledore's having died until it is safe to reveal the truth. After tomorrow night," she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, and her voice was shaking, "Professor Dumbledore is, without question, alive and well."

* * *

Back in the nearly empty Gryffindor common room, Harry didn't tell his friends about seeing his father and Sirius, but he eagerly listened to their story about Snape.

"Apparently, he's been acting really nutters all day, not just during my lesson," Ron said. "Really shaky, you know, like he was terrified of something. He attacked Malfoy in the dungeons."

"He _attacked Malfoy_?" Harry cried.

Ron nodded seriously. "Ernie MacMillian saw it. Happened right before you had Defense Against the Dark Arts with Malfoy. Ernie was going down there to ask Snape a question about last week's homework, and he heard Malfoy and Snape talking. Ernie said Malfoy seemed really chuffed about something, but Snape was saying Malfoy shouldn't be so sure or something, that Malfoy was too cocky for his own good. Malfoy laughed and said Snape should be celebrating, and that's when Snape attacked him. Grabbed him, threw him against the wall and told him to keep his mouth shut. Ernie got out of there right quick. At dinner, everyone was talking about how Snape went crazy on the Slytherins during my lesson, and Ernie told his whole table about what he heard. Got spread down to Gryffindor pretty quickly."

"And Snape is in the hospital wing right now?" Harry asked incredulously.

Hermione nodded. "Went there himself, apparently, right after Ron's lesson."

"They--they couldn't have been talking about Dumbledore, could they?" Harry said.

"The only way Malfoy could know that Dumbledore's … well … I mean, he'd only know if someone told him," Hermione said. "And no one would tell him. Snape, maybe, if Snape were still working for Voldemort, but if Ernie heard correctly, Snape's not pleased about whatever Malfoy's pleased about. It's got to be something else. There's no way Malfoy can know."

"I can't believe anything that's going on," Harry sighed, flopping backward and closing his eyes. He heard a pair of first years behind him, talking quickly about how they'd heard Professor Snape had cursed fifteen students down in the dungeons before being hit with a spell so strong it landed him in the hospital wing.

Ernie MacMillian had probably overheard correctly. And whatever he did hear had probably been distorted by so many people passing the story down … Malfoy and Snape couldn't have been arguing about Dumbledore. Malfoy couldn't know.

Harry left abruptly to go to bed, unable to shake the feeling that Malfoy knew too much.

* * *

Potions was cancelled the following day due to Snape's being in the hospital wing. When they weren't in class, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny spent their time sitting outside, playing with the new grass that was just beginning to grow and listening to Norbert fight with his keepers. Harry thought of the potions, and how they'd be done soon.

That night, Harry and his friends pretended to go to bed as usual. At a quarter to midnight, Harry and Ron crept out of bed and put on the green funeral robes they'd worn only months earlier to Percy Weasley's funeral. They met Hermione and Ginny in the common room, where Tabitha and Charlie were also waiting.

The six of them crept silently through the dark corridors, down to the Great Hall. Charlie held the door open for them.

The Hall was lit by a handful of candles. In the center of the room, lit by a pale gold glow, was a small, rectangular box. "Dumbledore's wand," Charlie whispered. "We can't do the proper ceremony here in the Great Hall … just the wand, for now." He shut the door behind Ginny, the last one in.

At one minute before midnight, Professor McGonagall looked around. "Are we all here?" she said softly.

"No--my nephew is missing. Probably going to be late, as usual," Mad-Eye Moody said.

"He has a minute yet," Professor McGonagall said. "But at midnight precisely--"

The doors to the Great Hall blasted open. Harry ducked as a piece of the doors came flying at his head. Everyone scurried back and held their wands up.

"Oh, don't you worry, I'm on time," came AJ Moody's voice. He sauntered into the Great Hall, shrouded in a dark, hooded robe. "After all, we'd have no fun if you'd already put up the shield."

As Harry watched in horror, more than a dozen robed Death Eaters appeared in the doorway to the Great Hall.


	26. An Attack at Hogwarts

Chapter Twenty-Six

An Attack at Hogwarts

"So it's true," came a soft drawl from beneath on of the robes. Lucius Malfoy lowered his hood and stepped forward. "Albus Dumbledore, the great old sorcerer and Muggle-lover himself, is dead. How fantastic. And using my wife's niece to fool us all--think you're clever, do you?" he sneered.

From the corner of his eye, Harry saw Lupin step protectively in front of Tonks. They were both grasping their wands tightly. In fact, the whole Order--the Weasleys, Professor McGonagall, Mad-Eye Moody, Mundungus Fletcher, Hagrid, Lupin, Tonks, a handful of other members, and, to Harry's surprise, the bartender of the Hog's Head, the dodgy bar in Hogsmeade--had formed a line across the entrance to the Great Hall, blocking the Death Eaters from entering any further than the threshold. Mrs. Figg stood off to the side, wringing her hands, unsure of what to do.

"AJ," Mad-Eye growled. "You dirty little--"

AJ pointed his wand directly at his uncle. "Dirty little _what_, Uncle Alastor? I have greater powers than you ever will, and I have the Dark Lord to thank for that. My mother always made sure I knew where our loyalties should lie … with power. Dumbledore was too weak for his powers."

"You ever have the courage to tell my brother to his face?" the Hog's Head's bartender growled. Harry gaped at him; was _this_ Aberforth Dumbledore, the brother Mad-Eye Moody had once mentioned?

"I needn't have. He knew how weak he was; why did he never try to stop our Dark Lord if he had all the power you pretend he did? Look at him now. He's dead, while our Dark Lord is stronger than ever. You tried to stop him. Brewing those potions … little good those did. And little good they'll do, now that your precious dragon is dead." He grinned at Hagrid and Charlie's horrified faces. "Oh, yes. It wasn't hard, with the help of my mates here. Kill the other keepers, target the stupid beast right in his weakest spots. His precious blood is spilling out all over the grounds, and here you all are … powerless. The Dark Lord thanks you all for trusting me so. He couldn't have known about Norbert otherwise." AJ began to advance toward Harry. "And once Harry Potter is dead, _nothing_ will stop our Dark Lord from realizing all of his power!"

Harry wasn't sure who disarmed AJ, but the wand flew from AJ's hand and he was slammed against the wall in an instant. At that moment, spells began flying any which way.

The Death Eaters shoved their way into the Great Hall. Harry saw Mrs. Figg grab the box containing Dumbledore's wand and slip out of the hall, unnoticed by any of the Death Eaters.

"Harry, there are so many!" Hermione cried as even more Death Eaters appeared in the doorway. There had to be at least twenty-five of them.

"Scared, Mudblood?" Draco Malfoy hissed as he pushed his way toward Harry. "This is what we've been waiting for all term, isn't it? A fight no one will stop. A fight you haven't got a chance of winning. No Dumbledore to help you, no pathetic Mudblood mother to protect you …"

Harry's fists balled at his sides, and suddenly, he heard Dumbledore's voice ringing in his ears, "_Keep your head_." What Harry wouldn't give to slug Malfoy for the third time this term, but this wasn't the time … spells were flying everywhere, and Malfoy wasn't even near the most dangerous wizard in the Great Hall. Besides, Harry was looking around for Peter Pettigrew … if there was one wizard Harry wanted to face-off against, it was Pettigrew. He relaxed his fists and raised his wand to curse Malfoy, who was ready to get Harry …

"Stupefy!" Ron shouted, zapping Malfoy. "Slimy git!" he cried as Malfoy fell backward.

"Good one, Ron!" Harry yelled, turning just in time to help Ginny send a beefy Death Eater flying across the room.

"Oy, Harry, watch out!" George Weasley cried. Harry ducked, just barely avoiding a jet of purple light sent by another Death Eater. George returned the spell with a streak of pale blue light … no, not light--_goo_. George and Fred Weasley both had Fantastic Freezing Guns!

The Death Eater stumbled back, his face paralyze. "George, have you got more of those?" Harry yelled, ducking another spell and jinxing Vincent Crabbe.

"Just ours, mate," George replied, missing a shot fired toward AJ Moody.

The Fantastic Freezing Guns would be perfect, but how could Harry get his? It was all the way up in his dormitory. He had been in a situation like this before, he thought, but when? And what had he done? …

The Triwizard Tournament! When he was facing the Hungarian Horntail and needed his broomstick … now, concentrating as hard as he could while ducking Death Eaters, Harry raised his wand and cried, "ACCIO, FANTASTIC FREEZING GUN!"

Not a moment later, there was a strange whizzing, and then Harry's Fantastic Freezing Gun--untouched since Christmas--flew into the Great Hall and landed at his feet. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had seen it fly in and were now trying to summon their own guns, which appeared moments later.

"Think that'll help you, Potter?" Malfoy spat, pulling himself up from the ground and darting around dueling couples. "Looks like a heap of garbage to me!"

"Think so, Malfoy?" Harry said, raising the gun.

"Try it, Potter. Before you even have that lousy Muggle-thing aimed, I'll have killed you and finished the job our Dark Lord couldn't."

There was a sharp gasp from the Death Eaters who had heard him. "Draco!" Luciius Malfoy sputtered. "I … I cannot--"

"You must kill him, Lucius," a tall, dark-haired Death Eater said in a booming voice as the fighting around them died down. The Death Eaters began to heckle the Malfoys.

"He cannot speak ill of our master!"

"Kill him; he's a traitor!"

Lucius Malfoy looked from the Death Eaters to his son. "But he does not mean it! He does not know what he says!"

The tall Death Eater pointed his wand between Mr. Malfoy's eyes. "If you allow treason to be committed against the Dark Lord, then you ask for death yourself," he snarled.

"No!" Mr. Malfoy shrieked. "No, I won't allow treason! I won't, I won't!"

To Harry's disbelief, Lucius Malfoy flinched and raised his wand toward Draco. "I will not allow treason against my master, the Dark Lord," he said firmly.

"Father--" Malfoy said, a note of panic in his voice.

"I will not allow treason!" his father screamed.

"Dad!"

"Ava--!"

Harry shot quickly, paralyzing Lucius Malfoy's wand arm before he could finish the curse. Draco fell to the ground, cowering. The other Death Eaters circled around him, chanting.

"Kill him!"

"Traitor!"

"Get him!"

"Get Potter!" But the members of the Order had begun to advance on the circle of Death Eaters, and fighting resumed. Tabitha and Tonks helped Draco Malfoy up and immediately allowed Fred Weasley to paralyze all his limbs and his mouth with the Fantastic Freezing Gun. Tabitha shoved him into a corner, where no one noticed him.

"Well, that was bloody stupid, mate!"

Harry looked up, surprised. Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom were standing in the doorway. Behind them were nearly all the members of the DA.

"You saved Malfoy!" Seamus Finnigan yelled. "Bloody idiot!"

"Get out of here, the lot of you!" Harry yelled.

Professor McGonagall had spotted them and turned white. "Get out, get out, quickly!" she yelled.

The Death Eaters had taken notice. A couple of them began to advance toward the students.

"Sixth and seventh years stay!" Harry yelled. "Get the younger kids--"

He recoiled as a bright green light struck Danny Flanagan, who was standing beside Seamus. Danny's body lurched back and dropped to the floor; Hermione screamed.

A few of the older students paled, but after a moment, they had their wands ready and had jumped into the fray. Hermione leapt forward, shaking, and pulled the younger students out of the Great Hall. Harry turned back to the fight, just in time to avoid a jinx from Goyle's father.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the Weasley twins were cursing and jinxing with their wands, firing wherever they could with their Fantastic Freezing Guns. Soon, a handful of Death Eaters were on the ground, paralyzed, but there still seemed to be too many to fight off all at once.

There was another jet of bright green light. Fred Weasley slumped to the ground. "No!" Ginny shrieked. George uttered a long, low howl of rage and stabbed forward with his wand, cursing anyone he could.

Harry turned away. He couldn't do this anymore. They were losing. Two down already … and he hadn't been paying attention to the older members of the Order. Any one of them could have been killed … two already …

_Keep your head_.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, his head pounding. _Keep your head_.

He looked around. Some members of the Order and Death Eaters had dueled their way out of the Great Hall, or into the small antechamber at the far end of the room; Harry couldn't see everyone. Malfoy was still lying a corner; his father was dueling with Aberforth Dumbledore. Mad-Eye Moody was taking on two Death Eaters … and there, on the ground, the traitor himself, AJ Moody, staring up lifelessly … Mrs. Weasley was fighting a short, stocky man, and coming off better in their fight, from what Harry could see … but where was Tabitha? He couldn't lose her; even his dad and Sirius had said, after all he'd lost, at least he had her …

Finally, he spotted her, off in a corner, darting around, ducking spells from an older, dark-haired woman who looked remarkably like her … Bellatrix Lestrange. And she wasn't alone in fighting her cousin; Neville had made his way over there, too.

Lucius Malfoy appeared out of nowhere and stunned Harry. He flew back, hitting his head on the wall. He groped around for his wand and his gun, which he'd dropped when he hit the wall. Lucius Malfoy was advancing on him.

"I had a duty to perform," he hissed. "That is the last time you'll stop me, boy!"

Still unarmed, Harry threw his legs forward and kicked with all his might. His feet made contact with Malfoy's chest, and Malfoy fell onto his back.

Harry grabbed his wand and his Fantastic Freezing Gun and jumped up. He looked back toward Neville and Tabitha. Bellatrix was about to curse them, but before she could, Neville shouted, "_Expelliarmus_!" Her wand flew into his hand, and he snapped it with a mighty _Crack!_

Bellatrix shrieked and swung out with her fist. Tabitha jumped in front of Neville, and Bellatrix's fist made contact with Tabitha's left shoulder. Tabitha threw her wand to Neville and attacked Bellatrix with as much fervor as she could muster. Her arms—strong and muscular from her days as a Beater—looked capable of killing. She punched Bellatrix about the face and pulled her hair. Bellatrix clamped her teeth on Tabitha's arm and kicked Tabitha's shins. They became a tangle of long, dark hair and raging fists. Neville stood back, his wand poised.

They had rolled closer to where Neville stood. As Tabitha furiously beat her cousin, Bellatrix reached out, grasping half of her broken wand. Harry didn't see anyone coming up behind him …

"No!" Harry yelled. "Tab—!" Lucius Malfoy hit him with a Stunning spell. Harry flew backward again. He pulled himself up desperately … but Bellatrix had done it.

Tabitha was clutching her side, her hand covered in fresh blood. Her mouth was opening and closing in silent shock. She staggered around in a circle, finally dropping to her knees. Bellatrix's delighted shrieks filled the room.

Instinctively, Harry shot Lucius Malfoy's face full of blue goo, targeting his arms and legs next. Once Malfoy was on the ground, Harry ran to Tabitha's side. Bellatrix was still shrieking happily.

Tabitha's face was white. "No, no," Harry muttered, feeling tears springing to his eyes. "Tabitha, no, please …"

She looked up, staring past Harry. "Kill him," she said. "Kill him for me."

"Her, you mean," Harry said. "It's Bellatrix."

"No, _him_."

Harry looked over his shoulder. Just feet behind him, Peter Pettigrew was watching, wide-eyed.

Harry leapt up before Pettigrew had a chance to react. He grabbed Pettigrew's robe, shaking him violently. "Save her!" he snarled. "I saved your life once; save hers now, and we're even!" Pettigrew didn't speak, only stood shaking under Harry's rage. "Now!" Harry yelled. "Bring her up to Madam Pomfrey, or I'll kill you now!" When Pettigrew didn't move, Harry pulled his arm back and let it swing forward, landing a spectacular blow to Pettigrew's face.

Peter Pettigrew began to cower under Harry. "I'll take her, I'll take her!" he wept.

"If I find you've taken her anywhere else," Harry growled, "I'll make sure you die the way the wizarding world believes you did."

Shaking, Pettigrew lifted Tabitha from the ground, his silver hand gleaming. Tabitha was staring ahead lifelessly.

"Two Muggle-loving pieces of filth wiped from my family tree, and all thanks to me!" Bellatrix Lestrange gloated, still laughing.

Harry and Neville cursed her at the same time. She stumbled back, but nothing more. Harry fired his gun at her, but only a few pathetic drops of goo squirted out.

"It's all right, Harry, I've got her," Neville said. He pointed his wand menacingly. "_Cr-crucio_!"

Harry watched in horror as Bellatrix Lestrange fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Neville looked at him, his face full of both immense guilt and awe.

"Neville!" Harry cried.

"I--I had to Harry. I can't believe I did it, but … I had to." Flinching, as though he were in pain himself, Neville performed the curse again.

"Neville, stop!" Harry cried. He looked around; the addition of the Fantastic Freezing Guns to the battle had slowed the Death Eaters; there were only a handful left standing, most of them lugging around paralyzed arms and other parts. Harry spotted Fred Weasley's gun lying beside his lifeless body. With a shudder, Harry sprinted forward and snatched the gun.

He saw Ginny still fighting a rather burly Death Eater, with the help of Dean Thomas and Ernie MacMillian. "Ginny, use your gun!" Harry yelled. "Paralyze them before anyone else gets hurt!" Just then, a Death Eater knocked Lupin over and hurled himself at Harry. Harry hit him with the paralyzing goo and ran back to Neville.

Neville was standing over Bellatrix Lestrange, a horrified look on his face. "Harry--I didn't … she's not …"

Harry leaned down and stared at Bellatrix Lestrange … the woman who tortured Neville's parents to insanity, who killed Sirius Black … who may have killed Tabitha. Harry heard her take a quiet, strangled breath, and disappointment washed over him. "You didn't kill her, Neville," he said, aiming a stream of blue goo right in Bellatrix's face. He shot all her limbs and walked slowly around the room.

Not a single Death Eater stood standing; they were all immobilized by the Weasley's twin's Fantastic Freezing Guns. AJ Moody was dead, but Harry couldn't see if any of the others were, too.

Mad-Eye Moody, Aberforth Dumbledore and Hagrid were circling around the DA students, making sure they were all okay. Professor McGonagall was standing, horrified, over Danny Flanagan's body. Harry followed her gaze around the room and saw only Mundungus Fletcher in a heap on the ground, but after a moment, Harry saw him slowly pull a flask from his pocket and sneak it to his lips. Tonks and the other members of the Order were hauling the paralyzed Death Eaters to one large heap in the middle of the room.

Mrs. Weasley was hugging Ginny, Bill, and George tightly, sobbing. Mr. Weasley was standing over them, his head in his hands. Fred lay at their feet. Harry's heart sank. He couldn't believe it, not Fred …

Fred's hand twitched.

As quickly as it had sunk, Harry's heart soared into his throat. "He's alive!" he cried, running toward the Weasleys. "Look at Fred!"

Shaking, Mrs. Weasley leaned down and held Fred's hand. Harry took a deep breath when he saw Fred's head lift wearily.

But where were Ron and Hermione? Panicked, Harry ran to the antechamber at the far end of the room. He stumbled right over Ron in the threshold.

"Ron!"

"He's fine, Harry," Lupin said shakily. Harry looked around. Lupin was sitting in the middle of the room, looking dazed. "We were condunded," he said.

"Confunded?"

"Yes. He was talking a moment ago … but Harry."

"Ron? … Yes, Professor?"

Ron looked at him with a dazed smile. Harry sighed in relief.

"Harry, he's dead."

"No, Professor, he's fine, he's just smiled at me."

"No, Harry …"

Ron was sitting up as Bill and Mr. Weasley ran into the room. "Ron! Oh, thank g--"

Harry followed Mr. Weasley's stare to a fallen tapestry sitting to Lupin's left. It looked like it had fallen during a struggle; there was someone tangled in it, splayed on his stomach.

Bill jumped over Ron and Harry and pulled the tapestry up. "No," he murmured. "No."

"Wake Charlie; he's been stupefied," Ron said dully.

"Oy, Charlie!" Bill cried. He raised his wand. "_Ennervate_!" But as when Harry had knocked out Tabitha during their first Occlumency lesson, Charlie didn't get up. Bill resorted to shaking his brother, but Charlie remained still. He rolled Charlie onto his back.

Ginny and Hermione had appeared in the doorway at that moment, looking for Ron. They gasped, bursting into tears a moment later. Charlie's brown eyes were open wide, a lifeless look of anger on his face. Mr. Weasley stumbled forward and fell over his son, too exhausted to do anything but shake silently and tearlessly. Ron backed himself into the wall in disbelief. He shook his head back and forth. "_No_," he whispered. "Charlie …" Bill leaned over his brother and cried.

Harry back out of the antechamber and raced out into the Great Hall. "Harry!" Hagrid called as Harry ran by. "What's happened?"

Harry ignored him and streaked upstairs toward the hospital wing.


	27. The Beginning of the End

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Beginning of the End

Harry's footsteps thundered in the halls as he pounded up the stairs. He had a terrible feeling in his gut, that maybe one of the Death Eaters had sneaked off and done something to the younger members of the DA Hermione had ushered away. He wondered which Death Eater had killed Charlie.

And as he rounded the corridor leading to the hospital wing, he feared that Peter Pettigrew had just dropped Tabitha somewhere, or maybe finished her off and fled.

Harry came to a halt in the hospital wing, gasping for breath. He looked around wildly … every bed was empty, except for one blocked off by a curtain. Snape.

Tabitha wasn't here.

Harry dropped to his hands and knees, still gasping. His head was swimming. Why wasn't she here? Harry couldn't lose her, the only family he had left …

"Mr. Potter! Merlin's beard, what is this? Come here, calm down, what's happened? Has the attack stopped?"

Madam Pomfrey had appeared and was on the floor beside Harry, trying to help him up, but he pulled away.

"Mr. Potter, what is it? What's happened?"

"Tabitha," Harry sobbed. "She's not here."

"No, a healer from St. Mungo's just took her."

Harry looked up. "What?"

"I sent an owl to St. Mungo's as soon as I saw her, the poor thing. They took her not a moment ago. _What _is happening downstairs? Was that … that wasn't Peter Pettigrew who brought Professor McNoira in, was it?"

"I'm telling you, _I'm fine_. I was knocked out, is all … it wasn't the Killing Curse, clearly, as I'm not dead … Mum, would you stop fussing over me!"

Harry whipped around. Mrs. Weasley had Fred in a full-body bind and was steering him into the hospital wing as he floated in mid-air. She dropped him onto a bed and released the bind. He immediately tried to stand up.

"Madam Pomfrey, he was hit with something … he looked dead when we saw him … oh but I'm so relieved … would you look him over, make sure everything is all right? Harry!"

Mrs. Weasley had spotted Harry. "Oh, goodness, you're all right. You rushed out of the Great Hall so quickly; we were so worried."

She wrapped him in a great big hug as Madam Pomfrey turned her attention to Fred. She didn't know about Charlie … if she did, she wouldn't be acting this way … unless Charlie had been hit with a spell like Fred, and he wasn't dead at all, but had only _looked_ like he was …

"Harry, what is it?" Mrs. Weasley stared down at him, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Mrs. Weasley, is … is everyone else all right?"

"Everyone, I think, xcept for that boy, that poor boy, with the dark hair?" Mrs. Weasley shuddered.

"No one else, though?"

"No, Harry, I--but what do you know? Has something happened?"

Harry averted his eyes. Warm tears dripped down his face. Mrs. Weasley pulled him down onto a cot and smoothed back his hair. "Has something happened to Tabitha?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Harry shook his head. "Well, yes, actually," he said. "She's been taken to St. Mungo's, but Charlie …"

Mrs. Weasley froze.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Harry sobbed. "I s-saw him downstairs …"

"Downstairs?" she said slowly, standing up and walking toward the door. Her pace quickened, until she was running as fast as she could to the Great Hall. Without thinking, Harry raced after her.

His heart pounded as they reached the Great Hall. The Death Eaters were lying in a pile in the center of the room, paralyzed by the effects of the Weasley twins' Fantastic Freezing Guns. Mad-Eye Moody was standing awkwardly beside Mrs. Figg, his hand on her shoulder as his magical eye roved around in its socket. Professor McGonagall and Hagrid were speaking gently to all the members of the DA--even the young ones Hermione had escorted from the Hall--and telling them about Professor Dumbledore, as well comforting them while Danny Flanagan's body lay on a magicked stretcher, covered with Professor McGonagall's green mourning robe. The rest of the Order were circling the room, magically repairing everything that had been blasted with wayward spells and watching the pile of Death Eaters.

Sheer instinct must have taken Mrs. Weasley to the antechamber at the end of the Hall. Harry reached the door just as she spotted Charlie.

A sharp intake of breath was followed by a long, low wail and sobbing. Mr. Weasley took her in his arms to comfort her. Tonks was hugging Hermione, Ginny, and Ron tightly while Lupin stood between Bill and George, his arms stretched around their shoulders. Charlie was still on the ground, half-covered by the tapestry. Harry still expected to see his hand twitch, but Charlie remained still.

* * *

By dawn, the Great Hall had been cleaned as if nothing had happened there. The Death Eaters had been moved to the dungeons. They were being guarded closely by members of the Order of the Phoenix, who were armed with both their wands and Fantastic Freezing Guns.

Mad-Eye Moody, Aberforth Dumbledore and several Aurors had tried to clean up the grounds, where they found the bodies of nine dragon keepers and Norbert. The ground around Norbert's keep was stained through with the dragon's blood; the magical blood had seeped so deeply into the ground that no one could clean it up properly. The keepers' bodies had been placed on stretchers near Danny Flanagan, and the dragon reserve where the men and Charlie had worked was contacted about their keepers and their dragon. Harry could hear Hagrid howling with drunken despair over Norbert's crumpled body.

Danny Flanagan's parents had been notified by owl to come to Hogwarts at once; Professor McGonagall had met them at the entrance to the school and led them up to her office. From a window in the Great Hall, Harry watched them leave; Mrs. Flanagan was crying into Mr. Flanagan's shoulder as he magicked a green-covered stretcher toward Hogsmeade.

The Weasleys and Hermione were in the hospital wing with Fred, telling him about Charlie. Tonks and Lupin had gone to Ireland to get Tabitha's grandparents and bring them to St. Mungo's.

And here Harry was, in the Great Hall with every member of the DA. They were all asleep in fluffy sleeping bags on the floor. Only Harry was awake.

The sun was almost completely up when Professor McGonagall appeared at Harry's side.

"This has been a most difficult year," she said softly. "Though, I am afraid to say. It will only get worse, at least until Voldemort is stopped."

"Why wasn't he here tonight?" Harry said angrily, his eyes filling with tears. "We might have been able to stop him tonight."

"We think he didn't come because he wasn't sure Professor Dumbledore was dead."

"What?"

"From what we gathered from the Death Eaters whose mouths have not been paralyzed and who are willing to speak, Voldemort did not trust AJ Moody, given who AJ's uncle is. He didn't want to arrive at Hogwarts only to find Dumbledore alive and well--he is not stupid or power-hungry enough to attempt to attack the most powerful wizard in the world in his own realm. So he sent his Death Eaters. But now … now he knows for sure."

After a moment, Professor McGonagall added, "We are closing down Hogwarts, effective tomorrow. Parents have been notified, and I will tell the students in just a little while's time at breakfast."

"But Professor, they won't be safe!"

"They won't be safe here, Potter. In their own homes, they run little risk of coming up against Voldemort or the Death Eaters. But Hogwarts is not the safe haven it once was. Tonight proved that."

She sighed. "The students will pack up and go home. I will insist that Hermione Granger leave as well, but I seriously doubt she will agree to that. And, as she is of age, she can choose to stay here. This will be the new base for the Order of the Phoenix. Arthur and Molly Weasley have already decided to stay here indefinitely with their family. Nymphadora Tonks will be living here as well, with her parents. They feel they will be safer here. Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody, Arabella Figg--they are all staying here."

"Hogwarts is becoming a fortress," Harry said.

"Yes, it appears it is."

"What about the Death Eaters? We can't send them back to Azkaban; they've escaped from their twice already!"

"We are keeping them here. I'm warning you now, Harry, it won't be long before the Ministry of Magic arrives here to try to take over. They will try to reopen the school and pretend that everything is safe. They will try to take the two dozen Death Eaters currently locked away in our dungeons. We will fight them if we have to, Harry.

"We stand alone against Voldemort."

* * *

Breakfast was unusually solemn that morning. Ginny, Ron, George, Bill and Hermione came down from the hospital wing, still a mess from the night before. They joined Harry at the Gryffindor table, where he was sitting with Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, and the rest of the Gryffindor DA members. Danny Flanagan's friends looked very small and scared.

"How's Fred?" Harry asked.

"Asleep, most of the night," George said.

"And your mum and dad?"

"Left this morning to tell our grandparents," Bill said quietly. "And to arrange another funeral."

"I'm sorry," Harry said. "It's so hard to believe …"

"It was Malfoy's dad that got him," Seamus Finnigan said hesitantly. "I--I saw your brother fighting him," he told the Weasleys. "They were going into that room off the Great Hall, just after you stopped Mr. Malfoy from killing Draco, Harry. I saw Mr. Malfoy come out a few minutes later, but I was blocking spells. I didn't think about not seeing Professor Weasley come out."

"Malfoy," Bill growled. "I could just go down to that dungeon and kill him myself--my little brother."

"He almost killed his own son," Harry said.

"And you stopped him!" Neville Longbottom replied. "How could you save Malfoy, Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "I dunno," he said quickly.

Just then, Professor McGonagall stood up and silenced the room. "I am sure many of you have heard about what transpired in this very room last night," she said. "I am afraid I am not quite as adept as Professor Dumbledore in situations such as these, but as of two days ago, it is my duty to step in as Deputy Headmistress. Professor Albus Dumbledore died two mornings ago."

There was a great murmur in the hall. Professor McGonagall silenced them again. "He had been very ill. I assure you, there was nothing suspicious regarding his death. He was on bedrest since his collapse at the Quidditch match several weeks ago. To protect Hogwarts from Lord Voldemort, who, despite reports otherwise, has most assuredly returned, we hid his illness from you all, and we were planning on hiding his death, as well.

"But news of his death was leaked to Lord Voldemort, and last night, Death Eaters attacked Hogwarts. They killed eleven people, including one of your classmates and one of your professors. Danny Flanagan was killed when he appeared in the Great Hall with a number of other students. They came prepared to fight the Death Eaters."

"How did you know what was going on?" Hermione asked Dean, Neville, and Seamus.

"We heard that Fantastic Freezing Gun banging against the door, trying to fly out," Dean said. "We followed it downstairs and heard the fight, then we ran around to the other common rooms, trying to wake all our members."

"Losing Danny is only a reminder of our loss from two years ago, when Cedric Diggory was killed. It is always sad to lose a student and a friend, and times like these only make it more so. In addition to losing Danny, Professor Tabitha McNoira is now at St. Mungo's in a very grave state after being badly injured last night, and, I am sorry to tell you all, Professor Charlie Weasley was killed."

The entire hall broke into another murmur, looking over at the Gryffindor table.

"Because of the events of last night," Professor McGonagall continued, avoiding mention of Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle's involvement in the attack, "it is my decision to close Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry until an undetermined time.

There was a great cry of protest. "Your parents have been notified," Professor McGonagall said over the noise, "and I assure you, they are all too pleased with this course of action. Right now, Hogwarts is not safe for any of you. Not until Voldemort is defeated. I am very sorry this has happened."

* * *

That afternoon, trunks were packed and the students wandered around the castle, spending their last afternoon with friends. Professor McGonagall forbade them from entering the grounds, which were still rich with Norbert's blood. Many of the students were very jumpy, as though they expected to turn a corner and find Voldemort waiting for them. The news about Malfoy's definitely being a Death Eater spread quickly, as did the story that Harry saved him from his own father.

Harry and his friends said goodbye to their mates before leaving for Hogsmeade that same evening. While the rest of the school would be going home on the Hogwarts Express the next morning, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, George and Bill were going to visit Tabitha at St. Mungo's.

On the train to London, Ron finally asked Harry the question that had been plaguing them all. "Why did you save Malfoy, Harry?"

"I felt sorry for him," Harry replied. He had been thinking about this all day, waiting for his friends to ask. "Malfoy's dad was about to kill him to save his own life. My parents both _gave up _their lives to save me. My parents might be dead, but I know they loved me. But Malfoy … his dad doesn't seem to love him at all."

"I think that's very honorable," Hermione said after a moment. "Even if it was _Malfoy_ you saved."

When they arrived at St. Mungo's, the healers only allowed Harry into Tabitha's room.

She was sitting up in bed, waiting for him. "You look well," Harry said.

"I've nearly recovered from my cousin's attack, if that's what you mean," Tabitha replied stiffly.

"Your husband's died, so now you're going to be cruel to me again?" Harry snapped.

Tabitha's eyes filled with tears. Harry leaned his head in his hands. "I'm sorry," he moaned. "I shouldn't have said that. I don't want to fight, Tabitha."

"I know," she sniffled, wiping her eyes. "I--I didn't mean to sound cruel."

"When will you be allowed to leave?" Harry asked.

"This evening," Tabitha replied. "And it looks like everyone's turned out to bring me home. To Hogwarts."

"You've heard that it's been closed."

"Of course. I think it's a wonderful idea. The students aren't safe there anymore. Once I'm well, I plan on taking shifts guarding our prisoners, perhaps fighting off the Ministry if they try to come in and take over," she smiled. "Of course, I probably won't be allowed around the prisoners, as I'm apt to try to kill my cousin Bellatrix."

"Seamus Finnigan thinks it was Lucius Malfoy who killed Charlie," Harry said softly.

"Well, even more reason for me to not be allowed around the prisoners. I'm not joking, either, Harry--I would kill them if I had the chance."

"I believe you, Tabitha."

"I suppose this is it," Tabitha said. "Now we and the Order are officially alone against Voldemort."

"That's what Professor McGonagall said."

"Well, it's true. We'll all be hidden away at Hogwarts, guarding our prisoners, fighting off the Ministry, plotting against Voldemort--and all that work we did on the potions, for nothing. Norbert was killed before we could add the last bit of blood." She shook her head. "We're in dark times, Harry. We must all stick together, no matter how we are feeling. We have to continue on without Professor Dumbledore, and the Weasleys and I, we have to get on without … without Charlie." Harry took Tabitha's hand as she began to cry again.

"It's all right," he said. "At least we'll all be together. We'll protect each other. I'm going to get Voldemort. I won't let him hurt anyone else I love."

There was a tap on the door, and a moment later, an older man and woman poked their heads in. The man looked remarkably like Harry and James Potter.

"Is it all right if we come in?" the woman asked.

"Yes, please do. Harry, these are my grandparents, Harrison and Maggie Potter--your great-aunt and -uncle. They'll be living with us at Hogwarts, for their own safety."

Harry felt, for the first time in a while, a happy sense of warmth wash over him. For the moment at least, he didn't have to think of what was coming.

The End


	28. HBP SPOILERS Similarities in DK&HBP

****

THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS RELATED TO _HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE_.

Also, I've had a surprising number of people ask when I'll be starting a sequel to HPDK, LOL. I didn't think I'd dive into writing fan fiction again, but I'm already thinking of something new to write. ;-) I don't know if I'm going to do a sequel to HPDK, per se, but I may write something that directly follows HBP (I will be sad to let Tabitha go - I really enjoyed my character, even if her existence is impossible; when I started writing HPDK, I'd never read the interview with JKR that said how old James, Sirius, Snape, etc were circa GoF, so I didn't know they were far to young to have children any older than Harry is, really). Anyway, rest assured, those of you who want to read something else by me, I will be writing something new. First, though, I have to finish rereading HBP, then I have to reread all the other books. I want to make "my" seventh book as close as possible to the story we already have.

Things in _Harry Potter and the Dragon Keepers_ that, surprisingly or not, turned up in _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:_

1. Snape seems to be on Voldemort's side and responsible for the deaths of people close to Harry.

_In **DK**, Snape is responsible for the deaths of Harry's entire extended family._

In **HBP**, Snape shares responsibility with Peter Pettigrew for Harry's parents' deaths, plus he kills Dumbledore.

2. Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater.

_Malfoy is a Death Eater in both **DK **& **HBP**; his status as a DE is also questioned in both by a character skeptical of Voldemort's making a sixteen-year-old a DE._

3. Death Eaters speaking against the Dark Lord for selfish reasons, with negative reaction from fellow DEs.

__

In **DK**, Draco makes a comment about "finishing the job Voldemort couldn't" (referring to Harry); the Death Eaters are shocked and demand that Lucius Malfoy kill his son for treason.

In **HBP**, page 33, Narcissa makes a comment about Voldemort's being unable to kill someone (referring to Dumbledore, though at the time, I thought she meant Harry); Bellatrix acts shocked Narcissa would say something like this against their master.

4. Because of Sirius' death, Buckbeak is back with Hagrid.

5. Dragon's blood is very valuable.

_In **DK**, dragon's blood is very important to the Order and the potions they are brewing to use against Voldemort and the Death Eaters._

In **HBP**, Slughorn remarks on the high cost of dragon's blood.

6. Voldemort will not seek out a fight against Dumbledore, nor is there a LV appearance.

_In **DK**, Voldemort is afraid Dumbledore is not really dead and therefore does not go to Hogwarts for the fight, sending his Death Eaters to assess the situation instead._

In **HBP**, the Death Eaters are sent as back-up for Draco in his mission to kill Dumbledore (we can only assume that, here too, Voldemort does not go himself so he doesn't have to face Dumbledore on his own turf.)

7. Fred and George Weasleys' business is flourishing and have thus earned their mother's support.

_Seriously, who DIDN'T see that coming?_

8. Malfoy makes an effort to hide the Dark Mark on his left forearm. Harry notices.

_In **DK**, it's during the Quidditch brawl, and perhaps even during an earlier incident I can't remember. ;-)_

In **HBP**,he hides it in Madam Malkin's shop.

9. With Umbridge gone, Harry doesn't see the point in continuing the DA, though members of the DA do

play a part in the final battle.

_In **DK**, he continues it, anyway, with Tabitha McNoira's help. The whole of the DA arrives for the fight against the Death Eaters._

In **HBP**, he does not continue the DA, and only a handful of members help out during the battle.

10. Not that they have much significance, but nogtails are mentioned.

_In **DK**, Snape adds pixie wings to a potion when he's supposed to add crushed nogtail hooves; I chose this creature randomly from Fantastic Beasts._

In **HBP**, page 144, I believe it is McLaggen who mentions having gone hunting for nogtails with his uncle (or possibly grandfather).

11. Both Firenze and Trelawney continue teaching Divination.

_In **DK**, Firenze teaches Divination solely as an extracurricular activity._

In **HBP**, each teach actual lessons, which are split between the two.

12. Lily's sacrifice for Harry is contrasted with another character's giving up his/her child.

_In **DK**, Lucius Malfoy is willing to kill Draco to save himself. (Incidentally, the very opposite attitude is exhibited by his wife in HBP.)_

****

In **HBP**, Merope Gaunt-Riddle virtually uses her son in order to keep his father for herself. She let herself die slowly once Tom Riddle, Sr. left her.

13. Harry nearly makes Dumbledore cry.

_In **DK**, it is because of the gift he presents Dumbledore the night before Dumbledore dies._

In **HBP**, it is because Dumbledore is proud Harry embraces the title Scrimgeour gives him (something along the lines of "Dumbledore's boy").

14. Harry recognizes the importance of telling Dumbledore everything.

15. Ron's birthday and Apparition are mentioned.

_As with the Weasley twins' business, this is a given, as Ron's birthday is a milestone, plus Apparition is now a part of the of-age students' lives._

16. Gloves are given as a gift.

_In **DK**, Ginny gives Harry no-slip grip Seekers' gloves for Christmas._

In **HBP**, Hermione (or Harry? I have only 'H' marked in my notes, LOL) gives Ron Quidditch gloves for his birthday. … Just an odd coincidence.

17. Plenty of Muggle-style brawling, though more so in DK.

18. The Room of Requirement returns as a means for privacy.

_In **DK**, Harry uses it to find privacy to talk to Prongs and Padfoot._

In **HBP**, Malfoy uses it as a private place to repair the Vanishing cabinet.

19. An adrenaline rush from Quidditch results in Ginny and Harry's (finally!) getting together.

_In **DK**, it is after Quidditch trials, and is initiated by an impatient Ginny._

In **HBP**, it is after the final Quidditch match, and is initiated by a momentarily carefree Harry.

20. Death Eaters arrive at Hogwarts with the help of an inside man.

_In **DK**, it is with the help of AJ Moody._

In **HBP**, it is with the help of Draco Malfoy.

21. There is a fantastic final battle that takes place within the walls of the supposedly secure Hogwarts.

22. Dumbledore dies.

_In **DK**, he dies of natural causes._

In **HBP**, he is killed by Snape.

23. Much success in the final battle can be attributed to freezing/paralyzing the Death Eaters.

_In **DK**, the Weasley twin's Fantastic Freezing Guns are used to this end._

In **HBP**, the Body-Bind Curse is used.

24. One of Hagrid's beloved creatures dies.

_In **DK**, his dragon from SS, Norbert, is killed by Death Eaters._

In **HBP**, Aragog dies, of what we can assume is natural causes.

25. The Weasley family endures tragedy.

_In **DK**, both Charlie and a supposedly apologetic Percy die._

In **HBP**, Ron is poisoned and Bill is disfigured and possibly cursed by a werewolf attack.

26. Hermione is not involved in the final battle.

_In **DK**, she is keeping watch over the young members of the Defense Association._

In **HBP**, she is tricked by Snape and ends up in his office during the fight.

27. Tonks and Lupin are a couple.

_In **DK**, it is a relatively low-key relationship that exists through the entire story._

In **HBP**, the actual relationship does not happen until the end, and even then, it may be shaky under current circumstances.

28. Harry pities Malfoy.

_In **DK**, it is because Malfoy's dad is willing to kill his only son for the Dark Lord._

In **HBP**, it is because Malfoy has clearly been brainwashed by his family and Lord Voldemort.

29. Fire is involved in a wizarding funeral ceremony.

_In **DK**, the body is cremated with magical flames._

In **HBP**, the body appears to spontaneously combust and leave behind a tomb.

30. The safety of the students and whether or not Hogwarts will remain open are questioned.

_In **DK**, it is decided that the students are more at risk at Hogwarts than at home, so the castle is closed and becomes the new headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix._

In **HBP**, several students are pulled from the school at their parents' urging and the status of Hogwarts remains unanswered at the book's conclusion.


End file.
